Symphony No. 1 (Mahler)

The **Symphony No. 1** in D major is a piece of orchestral music by Gustav Mahler. The composer wrote the symphony in 1887 and 1888 while he was the second conductor of the Leipzig Opera. Mahler called the piece a symphony, but others sometimes called it a symphonic poem.

The symphony was first played at the Vigadó Concert Hall in Budapest, Hungary, but it was not well liked.  Mahler made major changes before the second concert in Hamburg, Germany in 1893. Mahler made many more changes before the music was released to the public.

Mahler conducted this symphony more than his other works.

## Instrumentation

The symphony is was written for a large orchestra, with:

- Woodwinds:
- 4 flutes (3rd and 4th doubling piccolos, 2nd doubling piccolo in movements 1 and 4 briefly)
- 4 oboes (3rd doubling cor anglais, 4th used only in movement 4)
- 3 B, A, C clarinets (3rd doubling bass clarinet and E clarinet)
- E clarinet (doubling 4th B clarinet in movement 3 briefly, "doubled at least" in movement 4)
- 3 bassoons (the third player plays the contrabassoon part)
- Brass:
- 7 horns
- 5 trumpets (3 of which offstage in movement 1, 5th used only in movement 4)
- 4 trombones (4th used only in movement 4)
- 1 tuba
- Percussion
- 6 timpani (two players, 2nd player is only in movement 4)
- bass drum (with a cymbal to be played by the same person in movement 3)
- cymbals (crash and suspended)
- triangle
- tam-tam
- Strings
- harp
- 1st violins
- 2nd violins
- violas
- cellos
- double basses

In the last movement, Mahler asks for the first trumpet and E flat clarinet to be played by two people in parts with fortissimo.

## Form

There are four parts, also called movements. They are:

## Further reading

- Buhler, James (Autumn 1996). Breakthrough' as Critique of Form: The Finale of Mahler's First Symphony." _19th-Century Music_, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 125–143.
- McClatchie, Stephen (Autumn 1996). "The 1889 Version of Mahler's First Symphony: A New Manuscript Source." _19th-Century Music_, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 99–124.
- Osthoff, Helmuth (1971). "Zu Gustav Mahlers Erster Symphonie. 'Zum Gedenken an Hans Ferdinand Redlich. _Archiv für Musikwissenschaft_, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 217–227.
- Peattie, Thomas (2011). "The Expansion of Symphonic Space in Mahler's First Symphony." _Journal of the Royal Musical Association_, vol. 136, no. 1, pp. 73–96.
- Vasconcellos de Oliveira, Leandro (January–June 2020). "Estudo da transmissão audiovisual da Primeira sinfonia de Mahler pela Filarmônica de Berlim." _Revista Brasileira de Musica_, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 433–463.
- 'Dawn and Identity: The First Symphony', pp.43-76.
- Zychowicz, James L. (December 2007). "False Readings: Mahler's First Symphony as Film Music." _Naturlaut_, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 17–18.
- Zychowicz, James L. (December 2005). "From Symphonic Poem to Symphony: The Evolution of Mahler's First Symphony." _Naturlaut_, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 2–7.
- Zychowicz, James L. and Susan M. Filler (March 2003). "The Newly Discovered Source for Mahler's First Symphony: Issues of Context." _Naturlaut_, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 11–14.

## External links

- The Music of Mahler: A catalogue of manuscript and printed sources The entry for the First Symphony outlines the work's history, provides a list of performances up to 1911, a discography of early recordings, and detailed descriptions of the surviving manuscript and printed sources.
- Discography (French only)
- 1st movement (extract), 4th movement (extract). London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (conductor). Recorded 13 January 2008, Barbican, London.
- Discovering Music, BBC Radio 3.
- Symphony no. 1 – manuscript in The New York Public Library

## Infobox (musical composition)

- **name**: Symphony No. 1
- **image**: Gustav-Mahler-Kohut.jpg
- **caption**: Mahler at the time of his First Symphony
- **key**: D major
- **composer**: Gustav Mahler
- **movements**: 4
- **composed**: 1887–1888: Leipzig
- **premiere location**: Budapest
- **premiere conductor**: Gustav Mahler
- **premiere performers**: Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra