MIDI sequence and analysis ©1992-2000 by Joe Monzo
Mahler, 7th Symphony, 1st movement
My book-plus-CD package is available for US $90.00, plus postage -- contact me.
- book: Mahler 7th/1: an analytical reduction score, and speculations on the "hidden program", of the first movement of Gustav Mahler's Seventh Symphony,
- CD: an mp3 of my computer realization of the 1st movement of the symphony (26 minutes), retuned by Gene Ward Smith in his bifrost tuning, a 12-tone circulating well-temperament,
I've never been completely happy with any recording or performance I've heard of this work. It's often cited as being Mahler's worst symphony, and I think that opinion is a result of there not being any proper interpretations of it available on recording.
I think my years of Mahler studies, and of the circumstances surrounding the composition of this symphony in particular, give me a perspective on this piece that, in my opinion, makes this interpretation of the first movement the best available (except for the fact that I continue to work on it to make it even better).
I began working on the MIDI of this movement in 1988, using Texture sequencer software. In 1992 i switched to Cakewalk, and have continued to refine the tempos and phrasing up to 2003.
(Since the public release of the "den-haag" version of my Tonescape microtonal music software, I have started a completely new version of this piece, tuned in 1/6-comma meantone.)
Table of Contents
pages
1 - 2 ... Introductory comments
2 - 4 ... The influence of Strauss
4 - 8 ... The influence of Schoenberg
8 - 9 ... Literary influences
9 - 12 ... Rembrandt's The Night Watch and dream-states
12 - 13 ... A Note on Keys and Tonality
13 - 15 ... Counterpoint and dissonance in Mahler's 7th
15 ... A note about my score of Mahler 7th/1
15 - 16 ... A note about my CD of Mahler 7th/1
16 - 21 ... Analysis and "secret program" of Mahler 7th/1 by measure number
22 - 24 ... References cited
25 ... Monzo's Analytical diagram of Mahler 7th/1
27 - 79 ... Score of Monzo Analytical Reduction of Mahler 7th/1
Below are samples of 1st and last pages of my "analytical reduction" score.
first page of Monzo "analytical reduction" score |
last page of Monzo "analytical reduction" score |
(see my book-length webpage A Century of New Music in Vienna for detailed further background info)