In 1887 Gustav Mahler (1860 1911) came upon what would be for him a great treasure: "Des Knaben Wunderhorn: alte deutsche Lieder" (The Youth's Miraculous Horn: Old German Songs), an anthology of more than 700 folk songs and poems (named for the first piece in the collection) that had been published in the early 1800s by the German poets Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano. For the next 14 years Mahler made use of this anthology for all but one of his song texts. The first 10 of these 15 celebrated songs come together here both in the original German and in English translations: "Der Schildwache Nachtleid" (The sentinel's nightsong), "Verlone Muh'"(Labor lost), "Trost im Ungluck" (Solace in sorrow), "Wer had dies Liedel erdacht?" (Up there on the hill), "Das irdische Leben" (Earthly life), "Lied des Verfolgten im Turm" (Song of the persecuted man in the tower), "Wo die Schonen Trompeten blasen" (Where the beautiful trumpets blow), "Lob des hohen Verstandes" (In praise of lofty intelligence), "Rheinlegendchen" (little legend of the Rhine), and "Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt" (Antonius of Padua's fish sermon). This volume, rich in exceptional music reprinted from authoritative sources, is sure to delight Mahler devotees as well as all lovers of art songs."

'the one-stop guide to Mahler -- a volume of essays covering the widest range of Mahlerian topics, designed both for the academic and serious amateur music-lover... The core of the compendium is its coverage of all the main works, carrying recent research, with plentiful musical examples and other illustrations.' -Andrew Green, Classical Music 08/11/1999'beautifully produced volume... a tribute that surveys the familiar with affectionate new insights... all the articles on Mahler's reception outside Austria, both during his life and after, make for fascinating reading.' -David Nice, BBC Music Magazine October 1999'The Mahler Companion constitutes a distinguished and fitting monument to Mitchell's lifelong devotion to Mahler, and, in mustering so much talent in one volume, there is no doubt that it will deservedly take its place among the most significant publications on the composer.' -Jeremy Barham, Music andamp; LettersA brilliant gathering of international Mahler specialists write about Mahler's music from a variety of standpoints. The global spread of the authors is matched by a series of chapters that document the global spread of the composer's own symphonies and song cycles, while hitherto unexplored areas of research receive attention, both places (such as London and Prague) and people (Mahler's only surviving and highly talented daughter--a sculptor--Anna. In short, a volume that draws on the best resources and most up-to-date information about the composer and will undoubtedly act as the authoritative guide for Mahler enthusiasts for years to come.

The author's second book on the life and work of Gustav Mahler focuses principally on Mahler's first settings of Wunderhorn texts, volumes I and II of the Lieder und Gesaenge; his first song-cycle, the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; and the later orchestral settings of Wunderhorn poems. The central section of the book explores the extraordinary and often eccentric chronology of the First, Second and Third Symphonies' composition, an often minute exploration which reveals the interpenetration of song and symphony in this period of Mahler's art, emphasizes the significance for these works of imagery drawn from the Wunderhorn anthology, and calls attention to the ambiguous position occupied by much of Mahler's music at this time, suspended as it was between the rival claims - and forms - of symphony and symphonic poem. The final section of the book not only looks at the Fourth Symphony as the final, perhaps most perfect, flowering of Mahler's Wunderhorn symphonies, but also investigates such fascinating topics as the relationship between Mahler and Berlioz, and the influence of Bach on Mahler's later masterpieces. This new edition of the book offers an entirely new preface, in which Mitchell gives a unique account of the influence of politics, nationalism and fascism on the reception and rejection of Mahler's music, after the composer's death until the Mahler Renaissance of the 1950s and 1960s. It also includes extensive corrigenda and amplifying addenda, making it clear that the Wunderhorn influence persisted beyond the end of the period during which the Wunderhorn anthology was a constant source of inspiration. It is completed by an international bibliography which documents chronologically the reception and study of his music both in the past, and the prodigiously different circumstances of the present.

(Amadeus). Mahler's 10 symphonies and Das Lied von der Erde are intensely personal statements that have touched wide audiences. This survey examines each of the works, revealing their programmatic and personal aspects, as well as Mahler's musical techniques.

Two brilliantly contrasting masterworks ? one scored for a massive ensemble, the other for small orchestra and soloist ? reprinted from authoritative Viennese editions.