| Symphony No. 3 (mahler) |
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As usual of Mahler, the piece is written for a large Orchestra , consisting of four Flute s and Piccolo s, four Oboe s, a Cor Anglais , five Clarinet s (two in E-flat, and one B-flat alternating on a Bass Clarinet ), four Bassoon s, Contrabassoon , eight French Horn s, four Trumpet s, a Post Horn (which is usually substituted by a Flugelhorn ), four Trombone s, a Tuba , two sets of Timpani , a Bass Drum , Cymbals , a Tam-tam , a Triangle , a Snare Drum , a Rute , two Glockenspiel s, Bell s, a Tambourine , two Harp s, an Organ , Violin s, Viola s, Cello s, and Double Bass es. As in his '' Symphony No. 2 '', Mahler adds vocal forces to the later movements of the piece. The fourth movement is a song for Alto , and the fifth movement adds a women's Chorus and a boys' chorus. In its final form, the work has six movements: #''Kräftig entschieden'' (Strong and decisive) #''Tempo di Menuetto'' (In the tempo of a Minuet ) #'' Comodo (Scherzando)'' (Comfortably, like a Scherzo ) #''Sehr langsam--Misterioso'' (Very slowly, mysteriously) #''Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck'' (Happy in tempo and bold in expression) #''Langsam--Ruhevoll--Empfunden'' (Slowly, tranquil, deeply felt) As with each of his first four symphonies, Mahler originally provided a Programme of sorts to explain the narrative of the piece. In the third symphony this took the form of titles for each movement: #"Pan Awakes, Summer Marches In" #"What the Flowers of the Meadow Tell Me" #"What the Creatures of the Forest Tell Me" #"What Man Tells Me" #"What the Angels Tell Me" #"What Love Tells Me" All these titles were dropped before publication in 1898 . There was originally a seventh movement, "What the Child Tells Me", but this was eventually dropped, becoming instead the last movement of the '' Symphony No. 4 ''. The third movement quotes extensively from Mahler's early song "Ablösung im Sommer". The fourth is a setting of Friedrich Nietzsche 's "Midnight Song" from '' Also Sprach Zarathustra '', while the fifth, "Es sungen drei Engel", is one of Mahler's '' Des Knaben Wunderhorn '' songs. The piece is rarely performed in concert, due in part to its great length and the huge ensemble required. When it is performed, a short interval is often taken between the first movement (which alone lasts around half an hour) and the rest of the piece. Despite this, it is a popular work and has been recorded by most major orchestras and conductors. One notable recording was made in Quadraphonic stereo by the Utah Symphony under Maurice Abravanel in the acoustically-remarkable Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City , Utah . The final movement was used as background music in one episode of the 1984 Television series, "Call to Glory" and on an episode of the BBC 's 'Coast' programme, during a description of the history of HMS Tamerair. The symphony, though somewhat 'un' -symphonic in nature, due to the extensive number of movements and their marked differences in character and construction, is a unique and uplifting piece of work. The opening movement, grotesque in its conception (much like the symhony itself) is wonderfully evocative of the primeordial sleep of nature, slowly gathering itself into one of the most rousing orchestral marches of the 19th Century. It is in the fianle, however, that Mahler reveals his true genius for stirring the soul. The construction of it is masterful, and the interplay of a develping chromatic harmony and sonorous string melody , developed and re-orchestrated with perfect grace and poise builds to a conclusion that, though seemingly overblown when heard in isolation, is, in the wider context of the symphony, both musically justified and emotionally overwhelming. It is rare to hear to hear this remarkable piece of work in the concert hall, and rarer still to not be moved by it. The second movement of this work was Arranged by Benjamin Britten for a smaller orchestra, a version published by Boosey And Hawkes in 1950 . TEXT Fourth Movement Text from Friedrich Nietzsche 's '' Also Sprach Zarathustra '': the "''Midnight Song''"
Fifth Movement Text from Des Knaben Wunderhorn
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