Mahler's Seventh symphony / Anna Stoll Knecht.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stoll Knecht, Anna, 1979- author.

Contributor:

Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911.

Series:

Studies in musical genesis, structure, and interpretation

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911. Symphonies--no. 7.

Mahler, Gustav.

Symphonies (Mahler, Gustav).

Physical Description:

xviii, 377 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019]

Summary:

Gustav Mahler's Seventh Symphony stands out as one of the most provocative symphonic statements of the early twentieth century. Throughout its performance history, it has often been heard as "existing in the shadow" of the Sixth Symphony or as "too reminiscent" of Richard Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg. Anna Stoll Knecht's Mahler's Seventh Symphony offers a new interpretation of the Seventh based on a detailed study of Mahler's compositional materials and a close reading of the finished work. With a focus on sketches previously considered as "discarded," Stoll Knecht exposes unexpected connections between the Seventh and both the Sixth and Meistersinger, confirming that Mahler's compositional project was firmly grounded in a dialogue with works from the past. This referential aspect acts as an important interpretive key to the work, enabling the first thorough analysis of the sketches and drafts for the Seventh, and shedding light on its complex compositional history. Considering each movement of the symphony through a double perspective, genetic and analytic, Stoll Knecht demonstrates how sketch studies and analytical approaches can interact with each other. Mahler's Seventh Symphony exposes new facets of Mahler's musical humor and leads us to rethink much-debated issues concerning the composer's cultural identity, revealing the Seventh's pivotal role within his output.

Contents:

1 Premiere and Reception p. 6

Premiere p. 7

Reception p. 15

The "Problems" of the Seventh p. 25

2 Structure, Interpretation, and Genesis p. 36

Main Interpretive Leads p. 44

Genesis p. 56

3 Compositional History p. 64

Autobiographical and Biographical Evidence p. 65

Musical Evidence p. 75

4 Rondo-Finale p. 89

Form and Content p. 90

Interpretive Views p. 113

5 Genesis of the Rondo-Finale p. 123

The Vienna Sketchbook and the Moldenhauer Sketches p. 124

The Paris Sketchbook Leaves and the Moldenhauer Sketches p. 140

Other Sketches and Drafts for the Finale p. 153

6 Nachtmusiken p. 160

The First Nachtmusik p. 161

The Second Nachtmusik p. 183

7 Scherzo p. 209

Dancing Death ("Der Teufel tantz es mit mir") p. 209

Sketches and Drafts p. 216

Walpurgis Night p. 229

8 First Movement p. 232

Beginning of the Seventh p. 232

Form and Content p. 241

Sketches and Drafts p. 252

(Auto)biography, Genesis, and Interpretation p. 257

9 Die Meistersinger in the Seventh Symphony p. 266

The Meistersinger References in the Finale p. 268

Quartal Harmony in the Seventh and Meistersinger p. 278

Preliminary Sketches in the Vienna Sketchbook p. 281

E minor to C major: From Night to Day p. 284

Mahler and Beckmesser p. 290.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Related Work:

Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911. Symphonies, no. 7

ISBN:

9780190491116

0190491116

OCLC:

1055570491