An in-depth study of Gustav Mahler's preoccupation with death was the foundational purpose for this dissertation. The song cycle Kinder-Totenlieder was the main composition examined, however, other works were mentioned to provide further proof of his obsession.The content of Chapter One presents Mahler's biographical data. Death is traced through his family history with the demise of brothers and sisters and his own beloved daughter, Putzi. An analysis by Sigmund Freud discusses his relationship with his wife, Alma, and his mother. Another area of interest includes his feelings towards his siblings, especially his brother, Otto, who committed suicide.Chapter Two concentrates on poetry, musical form and orchestration in regards to the Kinder-Totenlieder,. Specific musical examples are given which symbolize the underlying theme of death. Theories as to why the song cycle was written and whether it was a prophecy concerning his daughter's death are stated. A comparison of Rueckert's original poems and Mahler's textual changes in these poems are studied.Chapter Three investigates Mahler's other works, both vocal and symphonic, involving the theme of death. In consideration of the symphonic works, poetry, program notes, and motives taken from vocal works are viewed. Attention is given to the poetry and orchestration in the vocal works. His comments scribbled on the manuscript of his Svnphony No. 10 highlight his fear of death. Lastly, comments concerning his own funeral arrangements and burial bring into focus the despair over his own inevitable death.ConclusionMahler's preoccupation with death is reflected in almost all of his compositions. The tension felt within the music represents his struggle between life and death. Ultimately, he knew that death would win, but his compositions would hopefully bring him to the immortality he sought. / School of Music

Zugl.: Strasbourg, Universit́e, Diss., 2003.

This work is focused on a prominent youth international orchestra - Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester ( GMJO).It offers a view on its foundation, history, his initiator Claudio Abbado and it discusses Gustav Mahler himself. The author shares his personal experiences with participating in this orchestra and explains some of the close initiatives and orchestras - Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Gustav Mahler Academy in Bolzano.

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The bulk of scholarly research and discussion of Mahler's Kindertotenlieder deals with musical concerns and analyses. This study explores the significance of Mahler's selection and use of the poetry of Friedrich Rückert and, in particular, the personal significance of the textual treatment to Mahler. A comparison of the original Rückert text with Mahler's and his textual alterations, as well as a literal translation of the text, is included. The results revealed through the process stated above provides the vocal performer of Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder with a study and performance guide for the artist intent on a more complete textual understanding and delivery.

The value of the type of musical analysis presented in this study is based on the assumption that the more thorough an understanding the performer has of his repertoire, of both musical and non-musical elements, the more authentic the performance will be. A knowledge of the wishes of the composer and of the historical period, added to an analysis of poetry, melodic contour, harmony, rhythm, accompaniment, and texture, provides the performer with the necessary background to form his interpretation of a song. The interpretation of "Wo die schonen Trompeten blasen" depends upon an accurate execution of the various rhythmic patterns in both the vocal line and the accompaniment. The sometimes opposing rhythms (two against three) between the voice and accompaniment should be carefully observed. Another important interpretive aspect is the portrayal of both characters in the poem (the soldier and his sweetheart). Character differentiation is primarily achieved through the singer's vocal color, intensity, and general deportment. The singer must thoroughly understand the poetry and have formed a definite personality for each character. In "Das irdische Leben" the individuality of each character in the poem is even more essential. The three characters are musically differentiated by the three individual patterns of vocal melody and rhythm. These three types of vocal melodies help determine the vocal color for each character. The chromatic and ever-moving accompaniment helps build the tension of this macabre tale, but the most outstanding feature of this song must be the vocal color and characterization supplied by the singer. The light, yet ironic, humor is the most important element of "Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt." The tonal painting of the accompaniment creates the proper atmosphere for this fish tale. To project the poetry's humorous descriptions of the various fishes, the singer must pay special attention to vocal inflection and syllabic stress of the text. Careful attention should be given to the rise and fall of dynamics, which help depict an image of water movement. These three early songs of Mahler were chosen to provide the listener with a variety of mood, style, key, and musical harmony and rhythm. If the performers (both singer and accompanist) study the various musical and non-musical characteristics of the songs, the result should be a more authentic and meaningful presentation.

Musical analysis has traditionally been located within the context of musicology. It is therefore an activity usually considered the purview of music scholars rather than practical musicians. The musical analyses produced by music scholars therefore provide us with intellectual understandings of musical works, rather than insights into the experience of listening to or playing music. In this thesis, I will propose that those agents involved in practical music-making can produce insights into musical works that are as valid as the work of traditional music scholarship. I will attempt to re-conceptualize the position of the ‘knower’ or ‘experiencer’ - the performer - of music as one with primary access to knowledge of a musical work, and therefore ideally suited to offer analyses of these works. The establishment of the performer as a bearer of central analytical knowledge functions in direct opposition to the traditional distinction between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’. My thesis will trace the Platonic origins of the philosophical separation of practice and research, and as an alternative to the traditional separation of practice and research, I shall explore the concept of Practice-Based Research (PBR). My exploration of PBR will be informed by phenomenological approaches to music scholarship. As a field of enquiry which concerns itself with experience, the phenomenology of music suggests that the mind and body of the practitioner are important sources of musical insight. To address this issue, Bourdieu’s notion of habitus will be explored. The habitus will be shown to contain a vast network of socio-cultural codes informing the practitioner’s relationship with the musical work. A central aim of this thesis is to explore the possibilities of using practice-based research as the foundation for the study and analysis of a composition, in order to allow for a deeper understanding of the work by means of the generation and harnessing of practical knowledge. Thus, the theoretical outline of PBR provided in this thesis will be applied to a piece of practical performance-based analysis. As such, an analysis of Mahler’s Quartetsatz will be used as the basis on which to draw knowledge in this project.

Die Standpunkte der beiden Komponisten zu unterschiedlichen Bereichen und deren Umsetzung in Musik müssen verglichen und gegenübergestellt werden. Dies erfolgt in einzelnen Abschnitten. Der erste Teilbereich wird sich mit dem Ewigkeitsglauben, dem Gottesglauben sowie mit dem Umgang mit dem Tod beschäftigen, was direkt mit dem ”Abschiednehmen“ in Verbindung steht. Im zweiten Teilbereich sollen ihre Vorstellungen ¨uber den Bedeutungsgehalt respektive die Aussage von Musik, auch deren mögliche Doppelbödigkeit sowie die Darstellung von Welt und Gegenwelt in der Musik im Mittelpunkt der Betrachtung stehen. Schließlich werden im dritten Abschnitt ausgewählte Motive sowie die Verwendung bestimmter Instrumente in ihrem Bedeutungsgehalt speziell für das Spätwerk untersucht werden.

The expressive marking "schattenhaft" appears twice in Gustav Mahler's symphonies: at the beginning of the scherzo in the Seventh and within the first movement of the Ninth. Theodor Adorno's observations regarding Mahler's use of this marking, which connect it to Schopenhauer and Romantic aesthetics, provide the framework for an examination of possible meanings of these two passages in Mahler. Drawing also on references elsewhere in Adorno's book to stylistic and formal features peculiar to Mahler's music, and especially on the comparison he makes between the experiences of reading novels and listening to Mahler's symphonies, this thesis demonstrates that close analysis of the "schattenhaft" passages offers a valuable point of entry into the thinking of both Adorno and Mahler.

In Vienna from about 1918 until the 1930s, contemporaries perceived a high point in the music-historical significance of Mahler's works, with regard to both the history of compositional style and the social history of music. The ideas and meanings that became attached to Mahler's works in this milieu are tied inextricably to the city's political and cultural life. Although the performances of Mahler's works under the auspices of Vienna's Social Democrats are sometimes construed today as mere acts of political appropriation, David Josef Bach's writings suggest that the innovative and controversial aspects of Mahler's works held social value in line with the ideal of Arbeiterbildung. Richard Specht, Arnold Schoenberg, and Theodor Adorno embraced oft-criticized features in Mahler's music, regarding the composer as a prophetic artist whose compositional style was the epitome of faithful adherence to one's inner artistic vision, regardless of its popularity. While all three critics addressed the relationship between detail and whole in Mahler's music, Adorno construed it as an act of subversion. Mahler's popularity also affected Viennese composers during this time in obvious and subtle ways. The formal structure and thematic construction of Berg's Chamber Concerto suggest a compositional approach close to what his student Adorno described a few years later regarding Mahler's music.