Symphony No.4 in G Major – Third Movement

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1. Thank you for your very erudite analysis of Mahler’s 3rd Movement of his 4th Symphony. You made Mahler’s allusions to his own and others’ music explicit for me. The “resurrection” motif becomes ascension into heaven and “I am lost to the world” forgetting all earthy things.
   Early in the 1980’s I heard Leonard Bernstein conduct the Symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic and a boy from the Vienna Boys Choir singing. The boy singing reminded me of my premonition of my young son’s death. Could it be that Mahler had a similar premonition of his daughter’s death? Since my daughter was studying ballet, I imagined a dance scenario.
   Forgetting All Earthly Things
   A Dance Scenario
   In Memory of my Son, Martin
   Music: Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 4, 3rd Movement (Ruhevoll)
   Setting: Maria Mahler’s bedroom with large window onto a clear night sky
   Cast: Maria, Alma, and Gustav Mahler
   Measure Number /Description of Action
   1 Evening star twinkles in night sky
   17 Gustav carries Maria, seemingly sleeping, into her room while Alma carries her doll
   31 Gustav places Maria on her bed, Alma puts the doll beside her, and both kiss her forehead
   37 Gustav and Alma walk to the window and hold each other as they watch a bright star
   45 Maria stirs and rises
   51 Maria approaches Alma
   60 Alma does not respond to Maria as if she is not there
   67 Maria pleads for attention
   75 Alma still does not respond, turns and leaves the room
   81 Maria turns to Gustav
   85 Gustav does not respond to Maria as if she is not there
   89 Gustav turns away from Maria
   90 Gustav leaves the room
   97 The star begins to descend as Maria clutches her doll
   107 Maria tries to forget her loneliness and dances with her doll
   171 The star brightens and Maria drops he doll and takes notice
   184 The star continues to descend toward Maria
   188 Maria becomes frightened and pleads for the star to stop
   192 The star continues its descent
   202 Maria begins to understand why the star is descending toward her
   205 Maria pleads even more passionately for the star to stop approaching
   210 In tears, Maria picks up her doll to console herself
   222 Maria tries to ignore her awakening understanding of the star’s approach
   283 The star, now very close to Ann Maria, insists that she stop resisting
   288 Maria reluctantly yields
   296 Maria admires herself in the stars light as the star reassures her
   307 Reassured, Maria approaches the star
   315 The star engulfs Maria in dazzling bursts of light
   326 The star returns with Maria to the night sky
   338 The star gradually disappears at first light

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