Do you have Mahleria?

The Austrian-Jewish composer Gustav Mahler was born today in 1860. For some reason, Mahler has more of a "cult-following" than most other classical composers, which has led some to diagnose those in the following as having the disease, "Mahleria". I myself greatly enjoy much of Mahler's music, leading me to think I had a touch of this illness. However, when I did a little bit of reading online, I realized my illness is nothing compared to some. Here is an incredibly funny medical description of Mahleria, especially funny if you've taken a medical microbiology course and have read a little bit about Mahler's life in relation to his symphonies.

Here's a long thread from some individuals clearly infected with Mahleria (the beginning post admits it outright). There are some interesting comments about his music in here, especially the first post, which gives a short summary of each of Mahler's symphonies.

Here is a link to a more in-depth analysis of Mahler's symphonies and songs than you'll probably ever want to read, from a man who has been listening to and studying Mahler's works for more than 40 years. I couldn't even make it through the first symphony's commentary, it was so long, but skimming this is pretty interesting if you know the music already, or if you're really motivated to know which recording you should buy of each Mahler symphony.

As those I link to have written, much of Mahler's music is programmatic. His music is extremely emotional, ranging from the most tortuous heart-wrending cries to the grandest exultations of rapture. Even though Mahler is not my favorite composer, I think I would rather go to a concert of a Mahler symphony than any other piece of music. The dynamic range of his works, from the ultra-soft to the fullness of the large brass sections and deafening crashes have a tendency to utterly amaze one sitting in a concert hall. The performance I went to of Mahler's 5th symphony some 10 years ago I will never forget as the most amazing musical concert I have ever attended. I was shedding so many tears from the pathos of the first 3 movements, that I was too emotionally exhausted to thoroughly and properly enjoy the tender 4th movement and the joyous 5th movement. Sigh... maybe I do have a touch of Mahleria.

On to the music. If you are new to Mahler, and don't have the natural tendency to enjoy loud, emotional late-romantic music, I would suggest beginning with his 4th symphony. Mahlerites always refer to it as "remarkably understated" or something of the sort. It was the first Mahler I ever heard, and it didn't take me too long to really enjoy it. It is his shortest symphony (usually a little under an hour), and is in only four movements (many of his symphonies are 5 movements, and two are even 6 movements). Here is the lovely classical-sounding first movement, parts 1 and 2. Here is the mysterious and ghostly (yet very lyrical) second movement. The third movement (parts 1, 2, and 3) forms the core of the symphony and is a very tender, yearning, beautiful song-like piece. This is truly heavenly music - take the time to listen to it and I think you'll agree! The fourth movement is a poem about heaven from a child's viewpoint, sung by a soprano, and is exquistely beautiful as well. What a perfect way to end Mahler's most peaceful and accessible symphony.

Mahler's first four symphonies are called the Wunderhorn symphonies because the themes presented in them draw some from his song cycle of the same name. All but the first have a singing component in it. His 1st symphony is probably the next most accessible, with a lot of the same scenic and pastorale beauty found in the 4th. However, there are some heart-wrending cries in the stormy 4th movement that are not found in the 4th symphony, and there is a strange funeral march to the tune of "Frere Jacques" in a minor key. Here is the opening of the 1st symphony, depicting the early morning with dawn awakening and birds calling, eventually breaking into a beautiful melody that communicates contentedness and joy.

The 2nd symphony, called "Resurrection", was one of Mahler's most successful symphonies during his day. Here is an excerpt of the opening movement, a funeral march depicting the death of Mahler's "hero" that is the subject of his first symphony. The gargantuan 3rd symphony I really don't know at all, and is the longest symphony ever written, clocking in at about 100 minutes. I've heard it a couple times and there are some really beautiful moments, especially the 6th (and final) movement. It didn't enjoy the popularity that the 2nd symphony did during Mahler's time. One reviewer wrote "the composer should be shot".

Mahler's symphonies 5 to 7 are in his second period, and none have a vocal component. As I've already mentioned, I'm very fond of his 5th symphony. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, it proved just as much or more rewarding than any of the other symphonies. Here is the opening of the 1st movement, another funeral march (yes Mahler was preoccupied with death - lots of personal tragedies in his life, I'm sorry to say). Here is the exquisitely beautiful and famous Adagietto (4th movement), which may very well be Mahler's most well-known piece of music.

The 6th symphony I really haven't listened to more than once or twice, but it is supposed to be a real masterpiece, although very dark and tragic. There are two (or three depending on which version you have) "hammer blows" in the last movement, which supposedly depict fate and the impending doom that Mahler had weighing on him. Mahler designed his own hammer and podium to go with it - check it out in this brief excerpt - pretty manly instrument!

The 7th symphony is about the night. The middle three movements (two of which are labeled "Night-music") is how the symphony got it's nickname - "Song of the Night". The 2nd movement is a melancholy march with frequent woodwind cadenzas depicting the night-calls of birds. The 3rd movement depicts midnight and is a rather ghostly nightmare. The 4th movement takes a turn toward the tender side, with mandolin and guitar accompaniment to a lovely melody. The 5th and final movement bursts forth with fanfares and joy - Mahler himself stated of it " and now for the daytime". The 7th is supposedly poorly understood and not well-liked, but I recently got a recording of it and really have come to appreciate it. Here is the opening of the 2nd movement.

Mahler's last symphonies - Nos. 8, 9, "Das Lied von der Erde", and 10 (unfinished) are from his last period of writing, in which he starts to push tonality even further, with his 9th and 10th bordering on atonality in places. Mahler was superstitious about writing a 9th symphony, since every major composer after Beethoven that wrote 9 symphonies died shortly after (Beethoven, Schubert, Dvorak, Bruckner, etc.). So after the 8th, he wrote "Das Lied von der Erde" (The Song of the Earth), a song-symphony with a tenor and contralto alternating singing each movement, set to some Chinese poetry. Out of these late symphonies, I'm particularly fond of this work. Here is the lovely fourth movement, "Of Beauty".

Mahler also had many song cycles (none of which I've actually listened to), including "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" (The Youth's Magic Horn), the basis of much of his early symphonic works, "Kindertotenlieder" (Song's on the Death of Children), "Ruckertlieder", and others.

I hope you've enjoyed this brief and selective tour into the world of Mahler, whether or not you have a touch of Mahleria.