Gustav Mahler -- Symphony No. 6 in A Minor "Tragic" -- Score

Gustav Mahler's music contains a significant amount of bitterness and irony, and sometimes this could extend beyond the music itself into the surroundings. Such is the case with his 6th Symphony. Despite its bleak ending and subtitle of "Tragic", Mahler's life was rather happy during its composition. He had married Alma Schindler in 1902, though the marriage became difficult, as they both had strong personalities. A first daughter Maria Anna was born shortly after the marriage, with the second daughter Anna Justine born in 1904, as composition was underway. During his time away from his duties as a conductor, the family lived in the country, where Mahler had constructed small 'composing huts' where he could work all day without interruption. The hut in Maiernigg, on the Wörthersee, is where symphonies 5-8 were composed. Mahler was always experimenting with new sounds and orchestration techniques, and the 6th was no exception. It is perhaps most notable for the inclusion of the Mahlerhammer at three key points in the fourth movement. Mahler's score note describes the desired effect as "brief, mighty, but dull in resonance and with a non-metallic character (like the fall of an axe)." Effectively, a heavy thud, which has been produced over the years by a variety of wooden boxes and platforms struck with wood or metal-headed hammers. The three strokes were reduced to two in the 1906 revision, but the third is sometimes reinserted, such as in Bernstein's recordings. 0:00 Allegro energico, ma non troppo. Heftig, aber markig. 23:50 Scherzo: Wuchtig 37:17 Andante moderato 53:42 Finale: Sostenuto – Allegro moderato – Allegro energico Source recording:    • Mahler - Sinfonie Nr. 6 | Michael Tilson T...   Score sourced through the International Music Score Library Project/Petrucci Music Library: https://imslp.org/wiki/Special:Imagef... This video is produced for educational purposes, for the benefit of amateurs, enthusiasts, and professional musicians alike. No claim of ownership is made over the component parts of this video. SMW is always happy to take suggestions for upcoming videos.