Kedrick Armstrong

Dr. Saylor
April 25, 2014

Farewell, Death, and Transfiguration

Mahler: Symphony No. 9 - Adagio

On the night of February 24, 1901, composer Gustav Mahler suffered a sudden and
violent hemorrhage. Dr. Julius Hochenegg, upon seeing Mahlers condition, said that
had he come an hour later, it would have been too late. The next morning, Mahler
made the following comments to Natalie Bauer-Lechner, a violist and his long-time
companion:
You know, last night I nearly passed away. When I saw the faces of the two

doctors (Singer and Hochenegg), I thought my last hour had come. While

they were putting in the tube, which was frightfully painful but quick, they

kept checking my pulse and my heart. Fortunately it was solidly installed in

my breast and determined not to give up so soon.... While I was hovering on

the border between life and death, I wondered whether it would not be

better to have done with it at once, since everyone must come to that in

the end. Besides, the prospect of dying did not frighten me in the least,

provided my affairs are in order, and to return to life seemed almost a

nuisance.1
It can be difficult to know the full effect of such a traumatic event in one's life. The

circumstances of Mahlers life, however, took a turn for the worse in the summer of 1907
with the death of Mahlers eldest daughter, Anna, who died from diphtheria. This tragic

Henry-Louis de La Grange, Gustav Mahler: Volume 2: Vienna: The Years of Challenge (1897-1904) (Oxford:
University Press, 1995), 334-335.
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event was worsened when, a few days later, Mahler was diagnosed with an incurable heart
condition. Doctors insisted that Mahler dramatically alter his lifestyle. Exercise of any
kind was severely restricted, even the number of steps he was allowed to take in a given
day. Additionally, in 1907, Mahler resigned from the Vienna Opera, in part because of ill
health, and because of a host of scandals and hostile scrutiny from his critics. Ignoring his
doctors recommendations to eliminate any unnecessary exertion, Mahler accepted
conducting engagements in 1908 at the Metropolitan Opera and later at the New York
Philharmonic. The events of 1907-08 led up to and encompassed the composition of his
last completed orchestral work, the Ninth Symphony, and no doubt influenced its
genesis.2 The so-called farewell story behind the Ninth, and its validity, has caused
much debate between scholars. What exactly is the farewell story of the Ninth?
Essentially, it is the proposal that Mahler, innately aware of his own mortality, decided to
encode a farewell into his Ninth Symphony; the symphony that was to be his last
completed work, a swan-song of sorts. Mahler never revealed the program or meaning of
this symphony. And surely he did not expect it to be his last completed piece, since he
began working on a Tenth. His mental state and mood can only be gleaned, it would
seem, from his personal letters and comments at the time. But what of the music? Can
the notes themselves reveal more meaning and disclose this secret farewell? Also, how
does the previous near death experience change and transform Mahlers music into what
we are presented with in the Ninth Symphony. In this analysis, I will attempt to point out
key points of the music that support the idea of farewell, death, and ultimately,
transfiguration.
The Ninth Symphony was written between 1908 and 1909, and was the last
symphony that he completed. Though the work is often described as being in the key of
D major, the tonal scheme of the symphony as a whole is progressive. While the opening
movement is in D major, the finale is in D-flat major. The piece is written in four
movements, which moves away from the the five-movement format he used for his
2

Henry-Louis de La Grange, Gustav Mahler: Volume 4: A New Life Cut Short (1907-1911) (Oxford: University
Press, 2008).
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Seventh Symphony and the two-part, monstrous Eight Symphony, Symphony of A

Thousand. As was his habit, Mahler refused to provide any program or verbal
explanation for this work, and as far all we know never suggested one even to those close
to him. However the form of the piece is so unusual, the contrasts are so pronounced,
that many great musicologist have tried to add programatic intentions into it. William
Ritter, an enthusiastic Mahler fan, interpreted the Ninth under the motto death and
transfiguration, applying the two concepts to the first movement and the Finale. Willem
Mengelberg took the interpretation ever further, claiming the Ninth Symphony is a
farewell from all whom he loved, from the world, and from his art, his life, and his music.
He also thought the fourth movement, in which this analysis is centered around, was
Mahlers song of life. Mengelberg says that, Mahlers soul sings its farewell! He sings
from his innermost being. His soul singssingsits final farewell: Good-bye! His life, so
full and richwill soon be over! He feels and sings: Farewell, my music!.3
Now to look more in-depth at this final farewell movement. A standard symphony
wouldve had four movements and Mahlers 9th has four movements but the standard
operating procedure would usually involve a weighty first movement, a slow contrasting
movement, a minuet or a scherzo (something light-hearted by contrast) and then a finale
that would usually assert some happy ending or at least a conclusive solution as the
outcome of the previous movements. While Mahlers first movement might bear the
brunt of the formal drama it is technically an andante (or moderate tempo). Then he
writes two scherzos in the middle which seem to be at odds with the outer two
movements. He saves the slow movement for last. Mahlers last movement, although slow,
is not depressed or mournful if anything, it is consoling, almost hopeful about the
peace one finds after death, whether there is an after-life or other world or not.
The fourth movement is written in five parts, as outlined on page one of the
handout. Part one contains a 2 bar opening, the first theme in D-flat major, and the
secondary theme. Part two contains a newer version of the first theme, quotes from

Floros Constantin, Gustav Mahler: The Symphonies (Amadeus Press, Inc, 1993)

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movement three, development of motifs from the first theme, and a new version of the
secondary theme. Part three also uses motivic material from the first theme to build to the
major climax of the movement. Part four, which functions like a recapitulation, contains
yet a newer version of the first theme and moves to an area of resolution. Part 5, which
functions as the coda, contains the last words of Mahlerthe Adagissimo, quotes from the
first theme and also from his earlier work, Kindertotenlieder, which leads to the final viola
line. Just by observing the large overview of this movement, you can see the profound
amount of transformation that takes place between the introduction of the first theme to
the third altered version of the primary theme found in part four. Mahler not only
changes the melodic aspect of the principal theme each time, but he also changes the
harmonic scheme, the texture, and layers it with other thematic material.
Now, lets journey back to the beginning of the piece and you can follow along with
the score on page three of your handout as I explain some of the stylistic aspects of the
opening. The fourth movement begins with a definitive unison octave A-flat leap in the
violins and considering the key, D-flat major, one might suspect that this would imply the
dominant. That notion, however, is complicated by the C-flat that occurs on the
downbeat of measure two. One can interpret this C-flat as being heard as the minor third
above A-flat and thus not a dominant. On the other hand, the C-flat could be thought of
as an embellishment, in other words, an upper neighbor to the B-double-flat, which is, in
turn, the upper-neighbor to A-flat. That C-flat is followed by a deliberate descent to Bdouble-flat, A-flat, G-flat and finally to F at the beginning of measure three. The first two
measures are significant in showing the multiple implications and transfiguration-like
nature we will encounter in the rest of the movement. Also in the introduction, Mahlers
stylistic use of quotations is prominent as he reintroduces the turn-motifpreviously
heard in the third movementwhich completely covers the fourth movement. To
understand this motive, we must first consider its origins in Wagners music. While at the
Vienna Opera, Mahler conducted many of Wagners operas and was intimately familiar
with his music. In particular, Mahler supposedly knew the score of Parsifal by heart. One
leitmotiv, which first appears in the Prelude, is referred to as Suffering 2 by musicologist F.
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E. Kirby.4 This passage contains the same turn-motif but, in addition to the turn, there is
a striking resemblance to the descending figure in the introductory bars of the Ninths
Finale. The striking similarities could even suggest that Mahler is quoting Wagner in the
opening bars which would support the stylist idea of quotations playing a major role in
Mahlers music. In the initial two-measure gesture, every note is already full with meaning
and possibilities and theres still 183 measures left to go.
Moving on from the first two measures, in measure three we find the first primary
theme. The opening theme is extremely reminiscent of the hymn tune Abide with
me (whether Mahler actually knew that hymn is doubtful, though he might have heard it
when he was in New York). Example 3 and 4 on page two of the handout show this great
similarity. Mahlers opening theme, with its four-bar period, might initially appear
classical and symmetrical but when you truly consider the complete phrase of the second
period, it is clear that it doesn't really end until the fifth bar of the phrase (measure 11). In
examining the principal theme, the melody cannot be considered in isolation; the original
and intriguing harmonization also aids in the altered character. On the third beat of
measure three, Mahler bypasses the tonic chord (which the ear expects) and replaces it
with the lowered sixth. Measure 3 introduces the harmonic progression that musicologist
Christopher Lewis has deemed the "motto progression. 5 The progression (which can
found on the first page of the score in the handout) is, in D-flat major, I-V7-bVI-I6-IV.
The progression from V7 to bVI (which is written enharmonically as A major rather than
B-double-flat) is a deceptive motion, which is another significant attribute of
transfiguration in this movement. Even after the first bold addition to his first
harmonization of the tune, Mahler continues to transform elements of the music as the
melody continues to spin out. The first chord of measure 7, at first glance, appears to be a
VI chord with B-flat in the upper voice. However, that B-flat is merely an upper-neighbor
to the A-flat, which resolves in the next chord on the second beat making beat one of
4

F. E. Kirby, Wagners Themes: A Study in Musical Expression (Warren, Michigan: Harmonie Park Press, 2004),
188.
5

Christopher Orlo Lewis, Tonal Coherence in Mahlers Ninth Symphony (Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research
Press, 1984), 103.
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measure 7 actually a I chordanother case of duality and transformation. Measure 7

brings back the "motto progression," but it is slightly altered this time as it reaches a halfstep lower in register. Rather than landing on IV, this time the motto progression pushes
the harmony into new territory, implying what might appear to be a temporary
tonicization of F major. The dominant of F major resolves unusually to A major (with an
appoggiatura B in the upper voice) in measure 9. The return of an A major sonority
implies that the tonal focus from the latter half of measure 7 to measure 9 is in fact A
major. The second half of measure 9 produces a dissonant IV chord with unusual
enharmonic spellings (F-sharp, B-flat, C-sharp, G). The F-sharp and C- sharp,
enharmonically G-flat and D-flat, are perhaps written for better voice-leading since the
previous section was focused on A major. The other possibility is that Mahler is
foreshadowing the importance these notes have in other keys, particularly that of D
major, which is what the first movement of the Ninth Symphony is written in.
I presented all this analysis to show that, even though Mahler had not direct
programatic intention for this symphony, as a musician, one can gather so much
information from just ten measures of the score and, with that information, really be
transported into the life and style of Mahler.
Now we will skip ahead to the ending of the finale which really highlights the ideas
of farewell, death, and transfiguration. Starting at square B on page four of the handout,
were are in the midst of part three in the formal analysis. Mahler is preparing for the
huge climax which he is known for in many of his symphonies but the climax we find in
this farewell finale is quite different that what were accustomed to. Lets say that square C
on page five of the handout is the big climax and recap of the finale. Usually, Mahler
would lead us to that place with a huge crescendo and massive sounds with all the
orchestra joining forces. Here, four before C, we find something completely different and
transformed. Mahler uses the descending motif from the opening two measures and
suspends us in the sounds of all the violins playing four times as slow as they did in the
beginning with a new tempo indication Holding back again. This moments connects
back to Willem Menegelbergs interpretation of this finale: Mahlers soul singssingsits
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final farewellhe feels and sings: Farewell, my music, except at this moment, Mahler
realized that this is his last time to sing and transform the melody and harmonies before
he has to put the pencil down.
We arrive at square C, the recap and section four of the movement, and the horns
are singing out the opening two bar phrase and the clarinets, bassoons, and trombones
have taken over the hymn tune. Mahler continues to write, trying to keep up the energy
for as long as possible, but soon we reach square D1 and the musics is fading away. All we
are left with are fractions of the melody. The winds fade out and were left with just string
players, the exact way the movement began. The double basses eventually fade away and
at the beginning of the final page, square C, another quotation makes it in to the piece
from the fourth movement of the Kindertotenlieder (In the sunshine! The say is beautiful
up in yonder heights!). The tempo gradually slows down, and then slows down again
when marked slow and pianissimo to the end and then finally, extremely slow. The
sounds of the orchestra become very transparent and motionless; Henry-Louis de la
Grance describes as longing for stillness and silence.6 The violas play the turn-motif twice,
first in quarter notes and then in eight, which is followed by the final transformation: the
inversion of the turn-motif in the final viola statement.
Mahler wrote this to Bruno Walter, the conductor who premiered the piece: This
Symphony says something I have had on the tip of my tongue for the longest time. As a
whole it may be closest to the Fourth, yet it is altogether different. The extreme
gentleness of this conclusions draws to Mahlers belief in mans unions with comforting,
eternal nature. Whether one listens to the coda of the Ninth as a sad farewell or as a
vision of eternity, no one would think of denying that the whole movement is ultimately
heard by all as a fulfillment and that it silences all doubts and answers all questions, and
provides an intensely moving close to the epic cycle of Mahlers ten symphonies. Mahler
died in May 1911, without ever hearing his Ninth Symphony performed. The work's
ending marvelous display of farewell, death and transfiguration are also coupled with the
6

Henry-Louis de La Grange, Gustav Mahler: Volume 4: A New Life Cut Short (1907-1911) (Oxford: University
Press, 2008).
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fact that it was composed following the death of his beloved daughter Maria Anna and
the diagnosis of his fatal heart disease. Leonard Bernstein speculated at the end of his 5th
Norton lecture that the entire movement is symbolically prophesying three kinds of death:
Mahler's own impending death, the death of tonality, and the death of "German" culture
in all the arts. Even though he went on to compose the first movement of his Tenth, many
believe, including Bernstein, that even if he was alive to finish the symphony, he would
never be able to do it because everything that needed to be said, was said with the finale
of the Ninth Symphony.

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