Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)

The Symphony No. 2 in C minor, also called the Resurrection Symphony, is a piece of orchestral music by Gustav Mahler. The composer wrote the symphony in 1888 and 1894, and it was one of his most known works while he was alive.  

The symphony was first played on 4 March 1895 with Mahler conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, but only the first three movements were played. The whole symphony was first played by the same conductor and orchestra on 13 December 1895.

The symphony is sometimes called C minor-E major, such as in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians."Gustav Mahler", in New Grove, Macmillan, 1980

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

Woodwinds

Brass

4 trombones
1 tuba

Percussion

several snare drums (only in mvmt. 5)
cymbals (crash and suspended)

2 tam-tams (high and low)
rute (only in mvmt. 3)

glockenspiel

Keyboards
organ (only in mvmt. 5)
Voices
soprano solo (only in mvmt. 5)
alto solo (only in mvmts. 4 and 5)
mixed chorus (only in mvmt. 5)

Strings

2 harp parts (several per part)

1st violins
2nd violins
violas
cellos
double basses (several with low C string)

The score also calls for a ‘Fernorchester’ – a second small orchestra outside the concert hall.

 Form 

The symphony has five parts, also called movements. They are:

 References 

Other sources


Further reading


 External links 


 Classical Notes
 "Mahler's Second: The Story within the Symphony", WQXR Radio, 18 February 2012
Category:Compositions in E-flat major
Category:Compositions in C minor
Category:Symphonies by Gustav Mahler
Category:Choral symphonies
Category:1890s compositions