7th Symphony (Mahler)

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The 7th Symphony is a symphony by Gustav Mahler . The nickname Lied der Nacht , which was used early on, does not come from Mahler.

Emergence

Due to the way it was created, the 7th Symphony is one of Mahler's most arduous creations. Even before the completion of the 6th symphony , the two night music of the 7th symphony was composed in the summer of 1904 . In the summer of the following year the work was to be continued and completed. For this purpose, Mahler traveled from Vienna to his family on Lake Wörthersee . Due to the personal pressure to have to complete the work, a creative block arose at Mahler, who, according to his own statement, tormented himself "to the point of gloom" with the work. Even a trip to the Dolomites could not usher in a creative phase. Only the return to the Wörthersee cleared the blockade, according to his own statement by a stroke of the oar while driving across the lake. "The first time I hit the oar, the subject of the introduction to the first movement occurred to me." The rest of the symphony was then completed in just four weeks. The final instrumentation then took place in several steps. The final corrections were only made a few days before the premiere.

To the music

Cast and duration of performance

Piccolo , four flutes (the fourth and piccolo), three oboes , English horn , three clarinets , clarinet , bass clarinet , three bassoons , contrabassoon , four horns , tenor horn , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion (bass drum, Snare drum, cymbals, triangle, tam-tam, herd bells, low bells, rod , tambourine, glockenspiel), two harps , guitar , mandolin , first violin , second violin, viola , cello , double bass

The performance lasts approx. 80 minutes.

1st movement: slowly. Allegro risoluto ma non troppo

The first movement in E minor is, in accordance with the rules of a classical symphony, in sonata form , which, however, is interpreted more freely. The actual main clause is preceded by a gloomy and oppressive-looking Adagio introduction . The strings and low winds begin with a funeral march-like, moving (not dragging) rhythm, based on Anton Bruckner , whereupon the tenor horn unfolds a halting lament. Dotted rhythms and a dark screaming style create an ominous and profound mood. This dragging figure increasingly accelerates to a lashing impulse, which brings with it a suction-like event. Fanfares and short scraps of motif lead to the main Allegro section . The main theme develops from the marching motif in the introduction and in this style is reminiscent of the previous, tragic 6th symphony . A second thought with clearly shifted chromaticism in C major is of a more peaceful character. In the middle of performing the music comes unexpectedly nearly complete stop. A three-tone motif can be heard in the trumpets over high tremolos on the violins. This is followed by a chorale-like chord progression in a “very solemn and held” manner of presentation. This is also derived in a greatly modified form from the introduction. A harp glissando opens an ethereal, strangely remote B major section. According to Mahler, an “outlook on a better [sic!] World”. The vision dies away suddenly with the onset of the recapitulation and the recurring march theme. The gloomy style is even heightened here compared to the exposition. Only with difficulty does the Allegro come in again, which appears strangely distorted with partly dissonant accompanying figures. After a large-scale shift, the main theme finally appears in radiant E major, leading to the jubilant end of the movement.

2nd movement: night music, Allegro moderato

This is followed by the first of the two night music that Mahler added to the symphony. Unlike the unofficial epithet Lied der Nacht , this title comes from Mahler himself. The image of a "night-walking musician" is intended. This first night music begins with a dialogue between the first and third horn and reminded here of the Scène aux Champs from the Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz . The signal-like motif of the first horn becomes the central motif of the entire movement. This is followed by an imitation of numerous bird calls, which are woven into an ever more opaque harmony. Finally, a marching song emerges which fluctuates strangely between major and minor. Again Mahler comes up with a military march theme, a characteristic of Mahler's music that can be traced back to his childhood in the garrison town of Iglau . The following trio is composed in Pyotr Tchaikovsky's elegant style , before the dialogue of the horns begins again. To this end, as in the 6th Symphony, the ringing of herd bells sounds "in the distance". Mahler is not primarily concerned with the programmatic representation of rural idyll, but with a "fading earth noise in the face of eternity, as the last greeting of living beings." The sound of the herd bells is only meant to symbolize "remote loneliness". The march also reappears in a cautious way, slowly increasing. The second trio creates a picture of a dance-like, Austrian idyll, here too the herd bells sound as an accompaniment. The horn signal again leads to the content of the frame being repeated. The march theme quickly develops again, which is now combined with the bird imitations. The night music fades away mysteriously and shadowy in pianissimo .

3rd movement: Scherzo. Shadowy

The phrase shadowy allows a fitting connection to the previous night music. The Scherzo creates an eerie and sometimes grotesque image of the night, as is typical of Mahler. A timpani motif and the pizzicati of the strings create a mysterious atmosphere. The fast runs of the violins are reminiscent of the counterpart in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 . These hectic triplet groups convey a restless sound pattern on which a distorted waltz develops with difficulty . Spooky interjections from the woodwind increase the eerie and shadowy flow of the scherzo. Even the trio does not allow any change in mood in this movement. The translucent folk theme appears heavily distorted. The Scherzo quickly starts again with the threatening bangs. Before using the second trio, Mahler demands a pizzicato in five forte and stipulates: "Pull so hard that the strings hit the wood". Béla Bartók will later often prescribe this technique. Even this trio cannot relax the "horror" and quickly disappears again. A final shortened return of the scherzo ends the mysterious sentence.

4th movement: Nachtmusik, Andante amoroso

The fourth movement is also entitled Night Music . Compared to the other four movements, the character of the movement is more chamber music and intimate, which Mahler also achieves by reducing the orchestra. By using guitar, harp, mandolin, solo horn and solo violin, Mahler achieves a serenade-like sound. The movement opens with a theme from the solo violin. Guitar and mandolin join the intimate singing of the strings. They cause the musical drawing of a romantic genre scene. It is precisely in this sentence that an image of German Romanticism that is reminiscent of Joseph Eichendorff emerges, as Alma Mahler notes. The vocals continue to flow over long distances without any major change in character. A trio enriches the scenery with a dance theme. The English horn leads the action back to the frame member. Again there is a dialogue between guitar and mandolin, which leads to a surprising impulse to move and increasing dynamics and brings with it a climax which, however, quickly fades away. The movement ends with the peaceful sounds of the woodwinds.

5th movement: Rondo finale, Allegro ordinario

In a way, the symphony follows the principle of per aspera ad astra, which Mahler likes to use . Through the night of the previous movements, the symphony reaches the bright light of the solemn finale. The jubilee finale begins with a celebratory drum motif, whereupon a festive and jubilant refrain theme develops for the whole orchestra, reminiscent of the overture to Richard Wagner's Meistersinger von Nürnberg . The first couplet gives a short dance impulse, which is quickly replaced by the refrain theme. In total, this refrain recurs no less than eight times. The couplets create dance-like, idyllic images that are reminiscent of musical history, for example a minuet can be heard in a couplet . The return of the refrain takes place every time in an extremely solemn and constantly jubilant and increasing form. The sometimes noisy tendency of the movement towards the monumental seems to want to unite all forms of apotheoses in music history, which inevitably leads to a “celebration of oneself to death” in the finale. The symphony consequently ends with rapturous jubilation in a huge final stretta of the entire orchestra, in which the main theme of the first movement is taken up again. Also noteworthy is the exclusive use of the tam-tam in the finale (often interpreted as a sign of death in Mahler's work) - this could also be interpreted as an indication of the impression of “celebrating oneself to death”.

effect

The premiere of the 7th symphony took place on September 19, 1908 in the concert hall of the anniversary exhibition in Prague . It did not take place until three years after the completion of the symphony. The work was part of the tenth Philharmonic Concert for the sixtieth anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I. Until shortly before the performance, Mahler, who was plagued by doubts about his work, worked on the instrumentation. He received support from Alban Berg and Otto Klemperer , who had also traveled to Prague for the performance. However, the premiere was a great success for Mahler. In contrast to some earlier works, for example the 5th symphony , the critics were almost without exception positive. Arnold Schönberg explicitly praised the work in a personal letter to his artistic role model Mahler. The Vienna premiere that followed a little later could not fully confirm this success. The much more critical Viennese audience took offense primarily at the final movement. The festively inflated jubilation was a "terrible mockery of the prelude to the Meistersinger ", noted a critical newspaper article. In fact, parts of the finale can be interpreted as a parody of Wagner's Meistersinger von Nürnberg overture .

Today the work is often performed in Mahler cycles, but it is Mahler's symphony that is least performed individually. An explanation for this is difficult to find. Possibly it stands in the shadow of the neighboring, expressive symphonies No. 6 and No. 8.

Status

The 7th symphony is the last of the three middle, purely instrumental symphonies 5 to 7. Like the 5th symphony , it consists of five instead of the classic four movements. The creative phase heralded with this 5th symphony continues in the 7th symphony. Here, too, Mahler uses his more progressive chromatics and in some places reaches the limits of tonality , which points to the 9th Symphony . However, this happens less intensively and less often than in the two previous works. The march-like flow of the main movement finds a model in several other main movements of Mahler's symphonies, in which he also falls back on this form he preferred. Large-scale marching movements can also be found in the 3rd , 5th and 6th symphonies . The renewed and striking use of folk elements is remarkable. The use of the herd bells is reminiscent of the previous 6th Symphony , in which they were used as a representation of an idyllic island in the middle of the tragedy. Here their sound represents an image of "remote solitude", which, according to Mahler, symbolizes the "face of eternity, the last greeting of earthly beings". The use of the guitar and mandolin is unique in Mahler's work and extremely unusual for large symphonies . In the also unique night music movements, they help create a picture of Eichendorff's romantic visions . The place of art was the night shrouded in mystery, especially in Romanticism. Wagner describes the beginning of "that other world" at the border between night and day. The idea of ​​the night-walking musician in this symphony comes from Schopenhauer . Again, these idyllic images represent islands in the turbulent symphonic events. These are definitely programmatic elements that allow a special interpretation of the music, something that Mahler usually wanted to prevent. This can be seen from the fact that the horn dialogue at the beginning of the first night music is reminiscent of the Scène aux Champs from the Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz , which is a decidedly programmatic work. The 7th symphony thus represents a novelty in Mahler's music with regard to some creative elements. This also applies to the euphoric final movement, since such a jubilant spectacle cannot be found in any other Mahler final movement. The festively heightened sheen belies a movement that is actually unusually simply structured, which is not one of Mahler's strongest creations. Mahler was repeatedly accused of satirizing Richard Wagner's overture to the opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alma Mahler: Memories, 451.
  2. ↑ Ibid.
  3. ^ Letter from Mahler. Quoted from: Herta Blaukopf: Briefe, 200.
  4. ↑ Wolfgang Stähr: Night Walkers Dream Song. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 206.
  5. ↑ Wolfgang Stähr: Night Walkers Dream Song. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 207.
  6. ↑ Wolfgang Stähr: Night Walkers Dream Song. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 208.
  7. ↑ Constantin Floros: Gustav Mahler II, 323.
  8. ↑ Alma Mahler-Werfel : Memories, 115.
  9. ↑ Wolfgang Stähr: Night Walkers Dream Song. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 210.
  10. ↑ Peter Revers: Mahler's songs: a musical work guide . In: Knowledge in the Beck series . Verlag CH Beck, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-406-44806-2 , p. 74 .
  11. ↑ cf. Image of the temporary concert building built by Josef Zasche in 1908 on the exhibition grounds in Prague-Holešovice
  12. ^ Letter from Schönberg to Mahler, December 19, 1909. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 213.
  13. ↑ Anonymous critic. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 210.
  14. ↑ Cf. Constantin Floros: Gustav Mahler II, 323.
  15. ^ Richard Wagner , Beethoven, 14. Quoted in: Renate Ulm, Gustav Mahler's Symphonies, 207.
  16. ↑ This shows Mahler's reading of Schopenhauer. Cf. Arthur Schopenhauer , World as Will and Concept, 344.