Today in Music (1889): Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 first performed

Symphony No. 1 in D major (Titan) Gustav Mahler (composer)

First Performed: Novembrer 20, 1889 Composed: 1884-1888 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classical > symphony

Parts/Movements: Movement I: Langsam. Schleppend (Slowly. Dragging.) Movement II: Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell (Moving vigorously, but not too fast.) Movement III: Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen (Solemn and measured, without dragging) Movement IV: Stürmisch bewegt (Stormy) Average Duration: 53:20

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About This Work: Gustav Mahler composed his first symphony based loosely on Jean Paul’s novel Titan. The four-volume work was published between 1800 and 1803 and tells “a convoluted tale…of a man who must discover his hidden past, find his ideal bride, and assume the throne of a small German principality.” US Mahler completed it in March of 1988 while working as the second conductor of the Stadttheater (City Theater) in Leipzig. While he started composing it in 1884, it appears he did most of the work in the six weeks leading up to its completion. Two months later, Mahler became the Artistic Director of the Royal Hungarian Opera, where he conducted the first performance of his symphony. US He referred to it not as a symphony but a “symphonic poem in two sections.” Originally the first section consisted of three movements, one which has since been removed, and a second section with two more movements. US Part I: From the Days of Youth,” Music of Flowers, Fruit and Thorn Spring and No End Flowerine Chapter (Andante) In Full Sail (Scherzo) Part II: Commedia umana (The Human Comedy) Stranded. A funeral march in the manner of Callot. D’all Inferno al’Paradiso (From Hell to Heaven). “These titles were accompanied by more extensive programs describing the metaphorical content of each movement. In Jean Paul’s Titan we have a youth gifted with a burning artistic desire that the world has no use for, and who, finding no outlet or ability to adapt, gives way to despair and suicide. Mahler apparently saw himself in this figure, as he described this work as autobiographical in a very loose sense. On the other hand the music, some of which Mahler actually accumulated from various earlier works, contradicts this program in so many ways, especially in the triumphant conclusion, that Mahler later withdrew it. He eventually came to scorn the application of specific programs to his symphonies in general.” SC He significantly revised the work before it was performed again in 1893. CR “The orchestra was expanded and the original second movement, entitled Blumine’ (Flowers) was dropped. This movement, the only surviving piece from Mahler’s incidental music to Scheffel’s Der Trompeter von Säkkingen, although having thematic ties to the rest of the symphony, is stylistically different, being scored for a much smaller orchestra.” SC Despite the changes and the fact that Mahler conducted multiple performances of the work, he never thought it received the acclaim it deserved. He would be pleased to know that more than a century later, there are more than 150 recordings available of his first symphony. CR “The primary source material for the remaining movements is…Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer). The material of these songs, specifically the first and second, is not only quoted but also used as thematic material in the symphony, creating additional programmatic implications. Mahler’s First Symphony is a stunning achievement for so young a composer, and despite its convoluted genesis is a fully mature, integrated and highly effective work.” SC Movement I: Langsam. Schleppend (Slowly. Dragging.) The movement “opens with an introduction invoking nature, eventually with cuckoo calls and distant fanfares. The principal theme is from the song Ging heut’ morgens übers Feld (I Went Out This Morning Through the Fields) and is developed in a standard sonata form.” SC Movement II: Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell (Moving vigorously, but not too fast.) “The second movement, Kräftig bewegt (Strongly moving), is a lusty and hearty Austrian Ländler replete with yodels and foot stomping. The slower and wistful Trio conjures feelings of nostalgia and longing.” CS Movement III: Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen (Solemn and measured, without dragging) “Based on a woodcut depicting animals carrying a hunter to his grave, the third-movement funeral march, Feierlich und gemessen (Solemnly and measured), is deeply ironic. Mahler uses the folk song "Frère Jacques" in a lugubrious minor, played by a muted double bass solo. The central Trio is an evocation of tawdry Viennese cabaret music.” SC Movement IV: Stürmisch bewegt (Stormy) “Mahler’s original program for the Stürmisch bewegt (Stormy) finale called the movement’s dramatic opening ‘the sudden outburst of a wounded heart.’ After a long and violent beginning invoking the torments of hell, including a vehement march derived from the first movement, the music subsides into a yearning theme. After a return to the march, Mahler interrupts the mood with a transformative fanfare that eventually leads to a triumphant conclusion.” SC

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Gustav Mahler SC Steven Coburn, All Music Guide CR TheClassicReview.com (8/14/2020). “Mahler – Symphony No. 1 (Titan) – A Beginner’s Guide” by David A. McConnell US Utah Symphony (9/3/2014). “Mahler Listening Guide: Symphony No. 1 in D Major” First posted 7/2/2010; last updated 11/17/2023.