The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual

Unlocking the Masters #2

by David Hurwitz

Since Gustav Mahler was rediscovered in the early 1960s, his symphonies have become arguably the most popular works in the modern orchestral repertoire. Mahler's An Owner's Manual is the first discussion of the ten completed symphonies (No. 1-9 plus “The Song of the Earth”) to offer music lovers and record collectors a comprehensive overview of the music itself, what it sounds like, how it is organized, its form, content, and meaning, as it strikes today's listeners. The book caters to the novice as David Hurwitz describes what the listener will hear, section by section, using simple cues such as important instrumental solos, recognizable tunes, climaxes, and other easily audible musical facts. He explains how each work is arranged, how the various parts relate to each other, and how one work leads to the next. It describes the emotional extravagance that lies at the root of Mahler's popularity, the consistency of his symphonic thinking, the relationship of each work to its companions, and his dazzling and revolutionary use of orchestral instruments to create an expressive musical language that is varied in content and immediate in impact. The accompanying CD contains recordings from Symphony No. 1, Third Movement; Symphony No. 2, First Movement; Symphony No. 5, Third Movement ; and Symphony No. 7, Second Movement : “Nachtmusik I.”

Genres: Music, Classical Music, Reference

216 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

David Hurwitz (born 29 August 1961) is an American music critic and author who specializes in classical music.

Based in New York, he is the founder and executive editor of ClassicsToday.com and frequently reviews recordings there. Hurwitz has published numerous books, primarily guides on specific composers for the Amadeus Press "Unlocking the Masters" series, namely, Mahler, Mozart, Dvořák, Haydn, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Bernstein, Strauss, C. P. E. Bach and Handel. Other publications include an introduction to classical music, two articles on the 19th-century use of vibrato as well as surveys on the symphonies of Beethoven (the 5th and 7th) and Brahms (all four). He was the chairman for the Cannes Classical Awards while it existed from 1994 to 2010.

In 2020 Hurwitz launched a YouTube channel on which he regularly posts video reviews and discographical surveys.

Reviews

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hurwitz helps me to appreciate how Mahler uses chunks of sound to replace/supplement traditional structures.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The analysis in here is pretty elementary, but it's a decent start for someone who wants a musical introduction to Mahler.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, non-technical exposition of Mahler's symphonies; sometimes hard to follow along while listening (maybe I'm not hearing what the author is hearing?)

[Özer Öz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bu kitap kendi halinde bir abimizin (bana biraz öyle geldi) kitaplar serisinin (An Owner's Manual) Mahler eserleri versiyonu. Bildiğiniz gibi biz Owner's Manual okumayı sevmeyiz, onlar da yazmaya bayılır. Ben iki kelam bilgim olsun müzikten ve notasyondan anlamıyorum hiç bunu şimdi anlamaya nerden gireriz diyorsanız okunası bir kitap ama yanında CD veriyormuş, o CD olmadan analizlerdeki zamanlar tutmuyor. Biraz uğraşmak lazım ama konu ile ilgili kolay bulunabilir elde edilebilir bir kitap.
Unlocking the masters demiş ya o işte biraz zor, öyle bu kitapla kilidi açamayız ama delikten şöyle bir bakarız, hmm baya kitlemişler diyebiliriz.