Symphony No. 5 (Mahler)

The Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler was written in 1901 and 1902 mostly during the summer months at Mahler's cottage at Maiernigg.

Related Topics:
Gustav Mahler - 1901 - 1902 - Maiernigg

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The piece is scored for a large orchestra made up of four flutes (two doubling piccolo), three oboes (one doubling cor anglais), three clarinets (one doubling bass clarinet), three bassoons (one doubling double bassoon); six French horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba; four timpani, cymbals, bass drum, side drum, triangle, glockenspiel, tamtam, wood clapper, harp and strings.

Related Topics:
Orchestra - Flute - Piccolo - Oboe - Cor anglais - Clarinet - Bass clarinet - Bassoon - Double bassoon - French horn - Trumpet - Trombone - Tuba - Timpani - Cymbals - Bass drum - Side drum - Triangle - Glockenspiel - Tamtam - Harp - Strings

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The piece is generally regarded as Mahler's most conventional symphony up to that point, but from such an unconventional composer it still had many peculiarities. It almost has a four movement structure, as the first two can easily be viewed as essentially a whole. The symphony also ends with a Rondo, in the classical style. Some peculiarities are the funeral march that opens the piece, and the Adagietto for harp and strings that interrupts the booming score.

Related Topics:
Funeral march - Adagietto

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The symphony is sometimes reproduced with the key assignment C sharp minor, but Mahler himself objected against this assignment:

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"From the order of the movements (where the usual first movement now comes second) it is difficult to speak of a key for the 'whole Symphony', and to avoid misunderstandings the key should best be omitted." (Letter to Peters Music Publishers dated July 23rd, 1904. Cited after: http://www.gustav-mahler.org/english/gesamtausgabe/cr5-f.cfm)

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The work is in five movements:

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• Trauermarsch (Death March) (C-sharp minor)
• Stürmisch bewegt, mit größter Vehemenz (Moving stormily, with the greatest vehemence) (A minor)
• Scherzo (D major)
• Adagietto (F major)
• Rondo-Finale (D major)

The first two movements constitute Part I of the symphony (as designated by Mahler in the score), the long Scherzo constitutes Part II, and the last two movements constitute Part III.

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The adagietto is sometimes heard alone. It was used liberally in Luchino Visconti's film, Death in Venice.

Related Topics:
Adagietto - Luchino Visconti - Film - Death in Venice

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The Trauermarch was used as the theme music for the BBC miniseries A Fall of Eagles, a dramatization of the fall of the European dynasties incident to the Great War of 1914-1918 (World War I).

Related Topics:
BBC - World War I

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