Page 241 - Vinkler, Jonatan, in Jernej Weiss. ur. 2014. Musica et Artes: ob osemdesetletnici Primoža Kureta. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem.
P. 241
mahler’s tenth symphony: motivic development ...
It is not difficult to see that the first movement represents a conflict between
the opening and unsettling Andante melody first played by unaccompanied
violas and the calm almost Brucknerian Adagio played by the strings and
trombones. The two themes become intertwined with the calm theme grad-
ually becoming less emphatic in its presence. The appearance of the loud A
flat chordal passage is an abrupt interruption to be followed almost immedi-
ately by the grinding dissonance of the nine-note chord. This must surely be a
symbol to represent the realisation of Alma Mahler’s affair with Walter Gro-
pius. It is no coincidence that close examination of the sketch suggests that
this passage is a later addition to Mahler’s music, because the whole tone of
the movement is now changed and the calm hymn-like theme for strings and
trombones is now made to appear very fragmentary. The movement ends with
a large metaphorical question mark.
Mahler of course was able to recover his composure and set the follow-
ing scherzo second movement on a positive course. One wonders why he used
such complicated rhythmic patterns, but perhaps it was his state of confusion
at what was happening. At all events he makes a very great contrast with the
heavy three-in-a-bar Ländler trio section. The music is very strongly joyful
right to the end. Unlike in the Sixth Symphony, for example, there is no sin-
ister element intruding on the motivic development.
The Purgatorio changes all this. The theme itself is very simple with the
rather sinister implications of the “mill-wheel” accompaniment that has a
close similarity with that of the Wunderhorn song Das irdische Leben. Is it
possible that Mahler drew the analogy with the words of the song in which
the child is repeatedly refused food until he dies of hunger? We could (but
this is only speculative) imagine that by constantly refusing love to his wife
that she became involved with Gropius and by then it was too late. Certainly
the verbal annotations to the score in this movement would lend support to
this idea. The transformation of the ending of the song to the ending of the
Purgatorio would seem to reinforce the point.
The fourth movement has been constantly linked to the Trinklied open-
ing movement of Das Lied von der Erde, and not without justification. The
tempo is similar (a heavy 3/4 metre) and the words of the earlier vocal move-
ment seem to reflect something of the mood here. At three points in the
Trinkl ied the solo tenor ends verses with the frightening words: “Dunkel
ist das Leben, ist der Tod.” Coupled with the descending phrases that these
words are set to, the implications are clear, especially when we note that Mah
ler put the words in the score: “Der Teufel tanzt mit mir.” This is Mahler’s dy-
239
It is not difficult to see that the first movement represents a conflict between
the opening and unsettling Andante melody first played by unaccompanied
violas and the calm almost Brucknerian Adagio played by the strings and
trombones. The two themes become intertwined with the calm theme grad-
ually becoming less emphatic in its presence. The appearance of the loud A
flat chordal passage is an abrupt interruption to be followed almost immedi-
ately by the grinding dissonance of the nine-note chord. This must surely be a
symbol to represent the realisation of Alma Mahler’s affair with Walter Gro-
pius. It is no coincidence that close examination of the sketch suggests that
this passage is a later addition to Mahler’s music, because the whole tone of
the movement is now changed and the calm hymn-like theme for strings and
trombones is now made to appear very fragmentary. The movement ends with
a large metaphorical question mark.
Mahler of course was able to recover his composure and set the follow-
ing scherzo second movement on a positive course. One wonders why he used
such complicated rhythmic patterns, but perhaps it was his state of confusion
at what was happening. At all events he makes a very great contrast with the
heavy three-in-a-bar Ländler trio section. The music is very strongly joyful
right to the end. Unlike in the Sixth Symphony, for example, there is no sin-
ister element intruding on the motivic development.
The Purgatorio changes all this. The theme itself is very simple with the
rather sinister implications of the “mill-wheel” accompaniment that has a
close similarity with that of the Wunderhorn song Das irdische Leben. Is it
possible that Mahler drew the analogy with the words of the song in which
the child is repeatedly refused food until he dies of hunger? We could (but
this is only speculative) imagine that by constantly refusing love to his wife
that she became involved with Gropius and by then it was too late. Certainly
the verbal annotations to the score in this movement would lend support to
this idea. The transformation of the ending of the song to the ending of the
Purgatorio would seem to reinforce the point.
The fourth movement has been constantly linked to the Trinklied open-
ing movement of Das Lied von der Erde, and not without justification. The
tempo is similar (a heavy 3/4 metre) and the words of the earlier vocal move-
ment seem to reflect something of the mood here. At three points in the
Trinkl ied the solo tenor ends verses with the frightening words: “Dunkel
ist das Leben, ist der Tod.” Coupled with the descending phrases that these
words are set to, the implications are clear, especially when we note that Mah
ler put the words in the score: “Der Teufel tanzt mit mir.” This is Mahler’s dy-
239
