Following the earlier volumes in the Studies in Musical Genesis and Structure series, Mahler's Fourth Symphony is a study of origins of one of Mahler's most popular and accessible works. James Zychowicz examines how the composition evolved from the earliest ideas to the finished score, and in doing so sheds new light on Mahler's working process.

"Though widely recognized as a key figure of twentieth-century modernism, Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) frequently references classical compositional techniques in many of his symphonic works. In particular, countless authors have observed the prominent classical elements of Symphony No. 4, which are especially notable in its first movement. While a formal analysis of this opening movement does reveal similarities between Mahler's organization and classical structural norms, it also uncovers many compositional strategies that are more characteristic of late-romanticism. For instance, whereas many analyze this movement as a typical first-movement sonata form, its tonal and formal organization more closely resembles that of a sonata-rondo (though this form is typically reserved for finales and the occasional slow movement). Additionally, Mahler plays with his listeners' expectations by incorporating several formal ambiguities that call into question the passages' true functional roles. This thesis presents a form-functional analysis of the first movement from Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with the goal of revealing the similarities and dissimilarities between its formal organization and that of classical works. The theoretical work of William E. Caplin informs the analytical methodology of this project, which centers primarily on an examination of formal functions, allowing for the consideration of musical syntax on various hierarchical levels. Ultimately, this project relies on the comparison of typical form-functional organization in classical instrumental works to the events of Mahler's movement with the aim of uncovering his predecessors' influence on the symphony while also revealing the work's relationship to the music of its time." --

Mahler's Voices brings together a close reading of the renowned composer's music with wide-ranging cultural and historical interpretation, unique in being a study not of Mahler's works as such but of Mahler's musical style.