Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)
Gustav Mahler completed the first movement of his Symphony No. 2 in C minor as a single-movement symphonic poem called Totenfeier in 1888. He wavered for five years on whether to make that piece the opening movement of a larger symphony, even though his manuscript labeled it as such. In 1893, he composed the second and third movements while grappling with the problem of a finale. The composer knew he wanted a vocal final movement but found choosing the right text long and perplexing. When Mahler took up his appointment at the Hamburg Opera in 1891, Hans von Bülow was already conducting the city's symphony concerts there. Bülow did not like or understand Totenfeier when Mahler played it for him on the piano. Bülow told Mahler that Totenfeier made Tristan und Isolde sound to him like a Haydn symphony. As Bülow's health worsened, Mahler substituted for him. Bülow died in 1894 and greatly affected Mahler. At the funeral, Mahler heard a setting of Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock's poem The Resurrection. The dictum calls out Rise again, yes, you shall rise again / My dust. It struck me like lightning, this thing, he wrote to conductor Anton Seidl, and everything was revealed to me clear and plain. Mahler used the first two verses of Klopstock's hymn, then added verses of his own that dealt more explicitly with redemption and resurrection. He finished the finale and revised the orchestration of the first movement in 1894, then inserted the song Urlicht as the penultimate movement. This song was probably written in 1892 or 1893.
Mahler initially devised a narrative programme for the work, which included several variant versions he showed to friends including Natalie Bauer-Lechner. He even had one of these versions printed in the program book at the premiere in Dresden on the 20th of December 1901. 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 view of life as meaningless activity. The fourth movement is a wish for release from life without meaning. The fifth movement ends with a fervent hope for everlasting, transcendent renewal, a theme that Mahler would ultimately transfigure into the music of Das Lied von der Erde. As generally happened, Mahler later withdrew all versions of the programme from circulation. The symphony uses text from Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock's poem Die Auferstehung taken from his 1758 collection Geistliche Lieder. Mahler omitted the final four lines of this poem and wrote the rest himself beginning at O glaube. The fourth movement Urlicht comes from Des Knaben Wunderhorn and illustrates the longing for relief from worldly woes. It leads without a break to the response in the Finale.
The symphony is scored for large orchestra including woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards, voices, and strings. Brass section includes four trombones and one tuba. Percussion requires several snare drums used only in the fifth movement plus cymbals crash and suspended, two tam-tams high and low, rute used only in the third movement, glockenspiel, organ used only in the fifth movement, and deep bells. Voices include soprano solo used only in the fifth movement, alto solo used in movements four and five, and mixed chorus used only in the fifth movement. Strings consist of first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, double basses with several having low C string, and two harp parts with several per part. The score also calls for a Fernorchester which is a small extra orchestra outside the concert hall. Mahler went so far as to purchase actual church bells for performances finding all other means of achieving this sound unsatisfactory. He instructed basses incapable of singing the note B below the bass clef remain silent rather than sing the note an octave higher since it occurs four times in the choral bass part.
The work has five movements with the first marked Mit durchaus ernstem und feierlichem Ausdruck meaning With complete gravity and solemnity of expression. It is written in C minor but passes through different moods and resembles a funeral march. The movement's formal structure is modified sonata form where the exposition repeats in varied form from rehearsal number 4 through 15. The development presents ideas later used including a theme based on the Dies irae plainchant. A gap of five minutes follows the first movement though rarely observed today. Julius Buths received this instruction from Mahler personally prior to a 1903 performance in Düsseldorf but chose instead to place the long pause between fourth and fifth movements. The second movement is marked Sehr gemächlich Nie eilen meaning Very leisurely Never rush and is a delicate Ländler in A major. The third movement opens with two strong short timpani strokes followed by softer strokes providing tempo references to Jewish folk music. Mahler called the climax of the movement a blistering Bm/C chord near the end sometimes a cry of despair or death shriek. The fourth movement Urlicht is marked Sehr feierlich aber schlicht meaning Very solemn but simple and is set in D major.
The symphony was first performed in 1895 after being written between 1888 and 1894. World premiere for first three movements occurred the 4th of March 1895 in Berlin with composer conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. Complete world premiere took place the 13th of December 1895 in Berlin conducted by the composer himself. Belgian premiere happened the 6th of March 1898 in Liège at Nouveaux Concerts conducted by Sylvain Dupuis marking first performance outside Germany. Austrian premiere followed the 4th of June 1899 at Musikverein Vienna with composer conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. Swiss premiere occurred the 6th of June 1903 at Basel Minster with composer conducting Sinfonieorchester Basel. Dutch premiere took place the 26th of October 1904 at Concertgebouw Amsterdam with composer conducting Concertgebouw Orkest. United States premiere happened the 8th of December 1908 at Carnegie Hall New York with composer conducting New York Philharmonic. French premiere concluded the 10th of April 1910 at Théâtre du Châtelet Paris with composer conducting Orchestre Colonne. The work has duration of 80 to 90 minutes and is conventionally labeled as being in key of C minor though New Grove Dictionary labels tonality as C minorE major.
The original manuscript score was given by Mahler's widow to conductor Willem Mengelberg at a 1920 Mahler festival given by Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. It was bought from the Mengelberg Foundation in 1984 by entrepreneur Gilbert Kaplan who specialized in conducting the symphony as an amateur. In 2016 the score was auctioned at Sotheby's of London for £4.5 million representing highest price ever attained for an auctioned musical manuscript. Buyer revealed to be Austrian businessman and trustee of Cleveland Orchestra who subsequently donated score to that institution. It remains only known handwritten and autographed manuscript of work in existence. Score displays at Cleveland Museum Art as Mahls Symphony No. 2 in C minor Autograph Manuscript on Loan from Cleveland Orchestra October 2023. Work first published 1897 by Friedrich Hofmeister rights transferred shortly thereafter finally to Universal Edition releasing second edition 1910. Third edition published 1952 fourth critical edition 1970 both by Universal Edition. As part new complete critical edition undertaken by Gustav Mahler Society new critical edition produced joint venture between Universal Edition and Kaplan Foundation.
Up Next
Common questions
When did Gustav Mahler complete the first movement of Symphony No. 2?
Gustav Mahler completed the first movement of his Symphony No. 2 in C minor as a single-movement symphonic poem called Totenfeier in 1888.
What text does Gustav Mahler use for the finale of Symphony No. 2?
The symphony uses text from Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock's poem Die Auferstehung taken from his 1758 collection Geistliche Lieder and omits the final four lines of this poem while writing the rest himself beginning at O glaube.
Where was the world premiere of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 held?
The complete world premiere took place the 13th of December 1895 in Berlin conducted by the composer himself after the partial premiere occurred the 4th of March 1895 in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic.
How many movements are in Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2?
The work has five movements with the first marked Mit durchaus ernstem und feierlichem Ausdruck meaning With complete gravity and solemnity of expression and written in C minor but passing through different moods to resemble a funeral march.
Who purchased the original manuscript score of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in 1984?
Entrepreneur Gilbert Kaplan bought the original manuscript score from the Mengelberg Foundation in 1984 who specialized in conducting the symphony as an amateur before auctioning it for £4.5 million in 2016.