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Master Musicians Series
Mahler
Bridging the nineteenth- and the twentieth-centuries, the late-Romantic tradition and the beginnings of modernism, Mahler's music is an intimate reflection of his life and thought - and his continual self-questioning on matters of belief and the role of mankind. In this revised and enlarged edition of his Master Musicians volume, Michael Kennedy has drawn on new documentary evidence which has enabled him to give a much fuller account of Mahler's childhood and youth, and of his years as an opera conductor in Cassel, Prague, Leipzig, Budapest, Hamburg, and Vienna. All of Mahler's works are discussed and for the reprint in 2000 the author has added a new chapter covering recent research on the composer.
220 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1991
About the author
Michael Kennedy
159 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
for Michael Kennedy the music critic and biographer, see George Michael Sinclair Kennedy
for Michael Kennedy the music critic and biographer, see George Michael Sinclair Kennedy
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 28, 2024
AN EXCELLENT (FAIRLY BRIEF) SURVEY OF MAHLER AND HIS MUSIC
Michael Kennedy (born 1926) is an English biographer, journalist and writer on classical music, who was chief music critic of the Sunday Telegraph from 1989-2005. He has written many other books, such as 'Richard Strauss: Man, Musician, Enigma,' 'Britten,' etc.
He noted in the Preface, "his music is popular to a degree that no one could have foreseen in, say, the 1950s. But Mahlerians must not exaggerate the extent of his neglect in the years from 1911 to about 1960. A devoted group of conductors... kept his name before the public." (Pg. ix) Mahler is perhaps characterized by his saying, "The symphony is the world! The symphony must embrace everything." (Pg. 2)
Observing that his career was halted due to "the intensifying anti-Semitism in Germany and Austria and the unwritten law that posts such as the Vienna directorship were not available to non-Catholics. Mahler had a Jewish upbringing ... (but) he ceased to observe any religious ritual when he went to Vienna in 1875." (Pg. 48) Ultimately, Mahler converted to Catholicism in 1897, and "He told Ludwig Karpath that he had taken this step 'from an instinct of self-preservation' and that it had cost him 'a great deal.' The theory, propounded by Leonard Bernstein, that Mahler was thereafter ravaged by guilt for betraying his Jewishness, cannot be substantiated and seems highly unlikely." (Pg. 48)
He reports that "Mahler's short spell with the [New York] Philharmonic was a failure. After his death the New York Tribune wrote: 'He was looked upon as a great artist, and possibly he was one, but he failed to convince the people of New York of the fact and, therefore, his New York career was not a success.' Why not? As with the Vienna Philharmonic, he aroused the dislike of many of the players." (Pg. 90)
While writing the Fourth Symphony, he wrote, "In my works there are many traces and emanations of such time, too, it's the forest, with its marvels and terrors, that dominates me and steals into my world of sound. I see it more and more: one does not compose, one IS composed!" (Pg. 130)
This book is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to go further into the study of the man and his music.
Michael Kennedy (born 1926) is an English biographer, journalist and writer on classical music, who was chief music critic of the Sunday Telegraph from 1989-2005. He has written many other books, such as 'Richard Strauss: Man, Musician, Enigma,' 'Britten,' etc.
He noted in the Preface, "his music is popular to a degree that no one could have foreseen in, say, the 1950s. But Mahlerians must not exaggerate the extent of his neglect in the years from 1911 to about 1960. A devoted group of conductors... kept his name before the public." (Pg. ix) Mahler is perhaps characterized by his saying, "The symphony is the world! The symphony must embrace everything." (Pg. 2)
Observing that his career was halted due to "the intensifying anti-Semitism in Germany and Austria and the unwritten law that posts such as the Vienna directorship were not available to non-Catholics. Mahler had a Jewish upbringing ... (but) he ceased to observe any religious ritual when he went to Vienna in 1875." (Pg. 48) Ultimately, Mahler converted to Catholicism in 1897, and "He told Ludwig Karpath that he had taken this step 'from an instinct of self-preservation' and that it had cost him 'a great deal.' The theory, propounded by Leonard Bernstein, that Mahler was thereafter ravaged by guilt for betraying his Jewishness, cannot be substantiated and seems highly unlikely." (Pg. 48)
He reports that "Mahler's short spell with the [New York] Philharmonic was a failure. After his death the New York Tribune wrote: 'He was looked upon as a great artist, and possibly he was one, but he failed to convince the people of New York of the fact and, therefore, his New York career was not a success.' Why not? As with the Vienna Philharmonic, he aroused the dislike of many of the players." (Pg. 90)
While writing the Fourth Symphony, he wrote, "In my works there are many traces and emanations of such time, too, it's the forest, with its marvels and terrors, that dominates me and steals into my world of sound. I see it more and more: one does not compose, one IS composed!" (Pg. 130)
This book is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to go further into the study of the man and his music.
September 10, 2023
A brief but enjoyable account of Mahler’s life, followed by analysis of his major works. Good as a sort of introduction to Mahler.
April 16, 2010
Deals with Mahler's life and works. The chapters on his works are excellent, detailed but not too technical (some basic knowledge of music theory and terminology helps, but is not a must). The biographical section is sympathetic, but is too compressed. I never really felt I was getting anything more than the surface details of his life, and many things simply lacked sufficient context. For an introduction to Mahler's life and music, especially his music, this is a great book; look elsewhere for an in-depth biography of the man.
June 6, 2020
Good introduction to Mahler, divided into biography and layman's explanation of music. Explains enough to get you interested in music and reveals Mahler as late-Romantic composer. Book of musical composer series.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews