This guide follows Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major (1888) in four parts: Langsam, schleppend (sonata form), Kräftig bewegt (minuet and trio), Feierlich und gemessen and Sturmisch bewegt.
I Langsam, schleppend · Sonata form · 6 sections
, (slow, dragging). A held A in the strings opens the , with a falling two-note idea in the winds. Fanfares from clarinets and offstage trumpets, a horn melody and a cuckoo-like call interrupt it. The starts with the in the cellos, a falling fourth taken from the Wayfarer song, and a follows. The wanders through many keys. The brings back the horn , and then a humorous starts.
(strongly moving). A heavy, stamping whose outlines an A major chord. A second idea (B) is related to the melody of Blumine, now in 3/4 instead of 6/8. The , the smoother and more lyrical follows, and the comes back after it, shortened and more heavily orchestrated.
(solemn and measured). A built on the round 'Frère Jacques' (Mahler calls it 'Bruder Martin') turned into the minor. A double bass starts the tune, then bassoon, tuba and finally the whole orchestra, with an oboe . Then a band-like tune with cymbals and bass drum breaks in (B); it is often called klezmer, though one article suggests Czech folk music. Later a gentler G major tune from the Wayfarer song 'Die zwei blauen Augen' appears (C). The twice (A1 and A2), and the ends with alternating fourths in the low strings.
(stormily agitated). A cymbal crash, a loud woodwind chord and a open the . The then begins, and a lyrical in the strings follows. The is long and loud and quotes the first at its slow . The begins with the , then the . A breakthrough to D major and a victory lead to the , where the score has the horns stand for the final .
Section boundaries in music are not always sharp; a transition may be felt over a pause or a held chord.
BachTrio Sonata No. 1 in E-flat major, BWV 525
HaydnSymphony No. 1 in D major, Hob. I:1HaydnHorn Concerto in D major, Hob. VIId:3HaydnPiano Sonata in A-flat major, Hob. XVI:46HaydnPiano Sonata in C minor, Hob. XVI:20HaydnString Quartet in A major, Op. 20 No. 6HaydnString Quartet in C major, Op. 20 No. 2HaydnString Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 4HaydnString Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 20 No. 1HaydnString Quartet in F minor, Op. 20 No. 5Path 02
Twelve symphonies from Mozart's Fortieth to Shostakovich's Fifth, the core of the concert repertoire.
Mozart → Haydn → Beethoven → Schubert → Berlioz → Mendelssohn → Brahms → Mahler → Tchaikovsky → Dvořák → Shostakovich
Path 23
The late Romantic orchestra at its largest: Bruckner's and Mahler's symphonies and Strauss's tone poems, 1880 to 1945.
Bruckner → Mahler → Strauss
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