"My life transparently revealed" : interpreting Mahler's worldview through an analysis of his middle-period symphonies

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2019-05

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Harland, Michael Lee

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Abstract

Many of the comments made by Gustav Mahler concerning the relationship between his life experiences and musical compositions have compelled scholars to interpret his work through the lens of his worldview. From the known facts of his reading habits, social circle, and references to philosophy, one can establish a general picture of Mahler’s interests, beliefs, and values. But to go beyond these generalities requires a more in-depth understanding of worldview and how it manifests in artistic expression. This project attempts to answer this need by investigating the concept of worldview through an analysis of the works of Mahler’s middle-period: the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Symphonies. Chapter One pursues a deeper understanding of what is meant by the term “worldview” and its relationship to art. This chapter lays a theoretical foundation that combines a historically informed definition of worldview with the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur to create a methodology for the case studies that will follow. Worldviews, while variable in content, contain a tripartite structure consisting of narratives, symbols, and values. The case studies that follow examine the works of the middle period under the rubric of these elements. Chapter Two analyzes the Fifth Symphony’s narrative structure, applying the insights of that investigation to Ricoeur’s notion of “narrative identity.” Chapter Three focuses on a specific musical symbol used in the Sixth Symphony—commonly known as the Ewigkeit motive—and examines how Mahler’s use of this symbol in other works illuminates its philosophical meaning and its expressive role in the Sixth. The final case study, Chapter Four, theorizes that Mahler’s compositional process serves as the outward expression of his inner beliefs. It considers the development of the Seventh Symphony as evidence of how value-structures manifest themselves as modes of being and doing. The final study concludes by drawing together the insights of the three analyses to offer an interpretation of Mahler’s worldview as expressed in the symphonic trilogy of the middle period.

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