Home | Archive | In memoriam

Gustav Mahler 1860–1911

Deep regret will be felt among musicians of all countries at the death of GUSTAV MAHLER, which occurred at Vienna on May 18. He was born at Kallocht, in Bohemia, on July 7, 1860, and studied at Iglau, Prague, and at Vienna University. A succession of musical appointments of increasing importance culminated in his instalment in 1897 as Director of the Court Opera at Vienna. He also succeeded Dr. Richter as conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic concerts. Since 1907 he had been living in New York, where he was musical director at the Opera House and afterwards conductor of the Symphony Orchestra. Although Mahler was one of the foremost musicians of his day, he was little known to the public in England. Two of his symphonies have been performed at the Queen’s Hall, London, Promenade concerts, but they failed to win popularity. The English public were apathetic to his music probably because his naïveté of expression did not stir them and his high endeavour and scholarship, although doubtless admired, made no deep appeal; in the case of the symphonies a further obstacle to acceptance was their length. Mahler wrote in all eight symphonies, the last of which employs a choir for the singing of the ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’ and a portion of Goethe’s ‘Faust.’ His other works include ‘Humoresken’ for orchestra and a cantata ‘Das Klagende Lied.’ As a conductor he was universally considered one of the greatest of his generation.

Musical Times, June 1911