| Symphony No. 2 (mahler) |
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The symphony began life as ''Totenfeier'' (Funeral Rites), a one movement Symphonic Poem based on an Epic Poem by Adam Mickiewicz , which Mahler completed in 1888. Later, he returned to the movement, and added three others so that by late 1893 , the first four movements of the symphony as we now know it were complete. He then set the work aside for a while, aware that it needed something else to complete it, but lacking inspiration as to what that something else might be. In 1894, the conductor Hans Von Bülow died, and Mahler went to his funeral. There he heard Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock 's ''Aufersteh'n'' (Resurrection Ode), and this inspired him to complete his symphony with a long choral movement with text based on Klopstock's ode. Mahler devised a narrative programme for the work which he told to a number of friends. He did not approve of audiences being made aware of it, but it is often recounted nowadays. In this programme, the first movement represents a funeral and asks questions such as "Is there life after death?"; the second movement is a remembrance of happy times in the life of the deceased; the third movement represents a complete loss of faith, and belief in life as meaningless; the fourth movement, a song, is a rebirth of faith ("I am from God, and will return to God"); and the fifth movement, after a return of the doubts of the third movement and the questions of the first, ends with a realisation of God's love, and recognition of everlasting life. ORCHESTRATION The Symphony is written for an Orchestra and an offstage ensemble of Brass and Percussion . The Woodwind section consists of four Flute s (alternating on four Piccolo s), four Oboe s (two alternating two Cor Anglais ), five Clarinet s (one alternating on Bass Clarinet and one alternating on clarinet), three Bassoon s, and Contrabassoon (alternating on bassoon). The brass section consists of ten French Horn s (four used offstage), eight to ten Trumpet s (four to six used offstage), four Trombone s, and contrabass Tuba . The percussion section requires seven players and consists of seven Timpani (three players, one timpani used offstage), two Bass Drum s (one offstage, with Rute , or "switch"), two pairs of Cymbals (one offstage), two Tam-tam s (high and low), two Triangle s (one offstage), Snare Drum , Glockenspiel , three " Bell s" (technically steel bars of pitch so low as to be indeterminate), several Harp s, and an Organ . "The largest possible contingent of Strings " consists of the usual Violin s I and II, Viola s, Cello s, and Double Bass es (some basses with low C-string). The fourth movement requires an Alto soloist, and the last movement adds a Soprano soloist and a Choir . DESCRIPTION OF THE MOVEMENTS The work in its finished form has five movements: #'' Allegro maestoso'' #'' Andante moderato'' #''In ruhig fliessender Bewegung'' (With quietly flowing movement) #''Urlicht'' (Primeval Light) #''In Tempo des Scherzos'' (In the Tempo of a Scherzo ) Musically, the first movement, though passing through a number of different moods, often resembles a Funeral March , and is violent and angry. It is in a very extended Sonata Form . Following this movement, Mahler calls in the score for a gap of five minutes before the second movement, which is a delicate Ländler with two contrasting sections of slightly darker music. This pause is rarely followed today. The third movement is a Scherzo based on Mahler's '' Des Knaben Wunderhorn '' song about St Anthony preaching to the fishes, "Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt". It opens with two strong, short Timpani strikes. It is followed by two more softer strikes, then followed by even softer strikes that provide the Tempo to this movement. The fourth movement, ''Urlicht'', is another ''Wunderhorn'' song, actually sung this time, by an Alto who Mahler requests should sound like a small child in heaven. The last movement is the longest, typically lasting over half an hour. It is very episodic, containing a wide variety of moods, tempi and keys, with much of the material based on what has been heard in the previous movements. The use of a chorus in this last movement has led to comparisons with Ludwig Van Beethoven 's '' Symphony No. 9 ''. A typical performance of the whole symphony will last in the region of 85 minutes. The work was first published in 1897 . In 1899 an Arrangement by Bruno Walter for piano four hands (two players at one piano) was published. The third movement of Luciano Berio 's ''Sinfonia'' ( 1968 - 69 ), is based on the third movement of this symphony. TEXT Note: This text has been translated from the original German to English on a very literal and line-for-line basis, without regard for the preservation of meter or rhyming patterns. Fourth Movement Text from '' Des Knaben Wunderhorn ''
Fifth Movement Note: The first eight lines were taken from the Ode ''Aufersteh'n'' by Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock . Mahler omitted the final four lines of this ode and wrote the rest himself (beginning at "O glaube").
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POPULARITY The symphony was a favorite of Pope John Paul II . |