Composed during 1899 and 1900, Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony was born from a rejected idea for its predecessor. Mahler originally conceived his Symphony No. 3 in a total of seven movements, one more than the already gargantuan work now contains. This seventh movement, which was to be the work’s finale, Mahler intended to base on his 1892 song “Das himmlische Leben,” from the collection Das Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy’s Magic Horn). References to the song were already placed in the preceding movements before Mahler dropped the idea, and decided to use it instead as the finale of his next symphony. In this sense, the Fourth Symphony is a continuation and conclusion of the musical thought begun in the Third. Even more fitting, the Fourth likewise concludes the symphonic works of Mahler’s early period. Its successor, the Fifth, would usher in the beginning of a new creative period in Mahler’s development as a composer.
In a rather traditional four-movement structure, excepting of course the song-like finale, the Fourth Symphony begins with a sonata form that is rather restrained compared to Mahler’s other symphonies. The next movement, a Scherzo and Trio, utilizes a solo violin, tuned a whole step above the usual tuning, to depict the image of “Freund Hein”—a traditional German personification of death. According to Alma Mahler, the movement was inspired by an 1872 painting by Arnold Bocklin. The third movement, on the other hand, is a slow march-like movement in a somewhat unorthodox variation form. Lastly, the finale embraces the form of the strophic song. Following an orchestral introduction, a soprano soloist, who represents the child, gives a youthful and naïve vision of a heavenly feast. Stanzas alternate with interludes from the orchestra, and a final coda, modulating from the tonic of G major to a transcendental E major, concludes the symphony. Joseph DuBose
The Peabody Institute, a conservatory and preparatory school, was founded in 1857. It has a preeminent faculty, a collaborative learning environment, and the academic resources of one of the nation's leading universities, Johns Hopkins.
Classical Music | Orchestral Music
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 4 Play
Recorded on 12/01/2001, uploaded on 08/18/2010
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Composed during 1899 and 1900, Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony was born from a rejected idea for its predecessor. Mahler originally conceived his Symphony No. 3 in a total of seven movements, one more than the already gargantuan work now contains. This seventh movement, which was to be the work’s finale, Mahler intended to base on his 1892 song “Das himmlische Leben,” from the collection Das Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy’s Magic Horn). References to the song were already placed in the preceding movements before Mahler dropped the idea, and decided to use it instead as the finale of his next symphony. In this sense, the Fourth Symphony is a continuation and conclusion of the musical thought begun in the Third. Even more fitting, the Fourth likewise concludes the symphonic works of Mahler’s early period. Its successor, the Fifth, would usher in the beginning of a new creative period in Mahler’s development as a composer.
In a rather traditional four-movement structure, excepting of course the song-like finale, the Fourth Symphony begins with a sonata form that is rather restrained compared to Mahler’s other symphonies. The next movement, a Scherzo and Trio, utilizes a solo violin, tuned a whole step above the usual tuning, to depict the image of “Freund Hein”—a traditional German personification of death. According to Alma Mahler, the movement was inspired by an 1872 painting by Arnold Bocklin. The third movement, on the other hand, is a slow march-like movement in a somewhat unorthodox variation form. Lastly, the finale embraces the form of the strophic song. Following an orchestral introduction, a soprano soloist, who represents the child, gives a youthful and naïve vision of a heavenly feast. Stanzas alternate with interludes from the orchestra, and a final coda, modulating from the tonic of G major to a transcendental E major, concludes the symphony. Joseph DuBose
More music by Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5, Part III, Adagietto. Sehr langsam
Symphony no. 6
Symphony No. 5 (Adagietto)
Symphony No. 4
Symphony no. 2, 5th movement
3rd movement, Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen, Symphony no. 1
Symphony no. 6, 1st movement
Symphony no. 6, 3rd movement
Symphony No. 5, Part III, Rondo-Finale
Symphony no. 1
Performances by same musician(s)
Daphnis and Chloé, Suite No. 2
Symphony no. 6
Scheherazade
Oberon Overture
Symphony no. 6, 1st movement
Symphony no. 6, 3rd movement
Symphony No. 5 in c minor, Op.67
La Mer
Symphony no. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Symphony No. 5
Classical Music for the Internet Era™
The Peabody Institute, a conservatory and preparatory school, was founded in 1857. It has a preeminent faculty, a collaborative learning environment, and the academic resources of one of the nation's leading universities, Johns Hopkins.