COMPOSER OF THE WEEK: 18. Gustav Mahler

Born: July 7, 1860; Kaliště, Czech Republic

Died: May 18, 1911; Vienna, Austria

Nationality: Czech

Occupation: Composer, Conductor

Gustav Mahler was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer who was born on July 7, 1860 and died on May 18, 1911 and one of the main conductors of his generation. As a composer, Mahler served as a bridge between 19th-century Austro-German tradition and early 20th-century’s modernism. 

Gustav Mahler's birth house, Kaliště

Although Mahler established a position as conductor in his life, his music gained wide popularity after periods of neglect, including the banning of performances in many parts of Europe during the Nazi era. 

After 1945, Mahler's works have been rediscovered by a new generation of music listeners, making him one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers to date. In 2016, Mahler's three symphonies were selected among the top ten symphonies of all time by a BBC Music Magazine with the survey of 151 conductors.

Gustav Mahler (1907)

Born in a German-speaking Jewish family in Bohemia (then the Austrian Empire), Mahler showed musical talent from an early age. 

After graduating from the Vienna Conservatory in 1878, he took the conducting position in the opera houses of Europe and in 1897 was appointed as director of the Vienna State Opera. During his ten years in Vienna, Mahler, who converted to Catholicism to secure his position, experienced constant criticism and hostility from the anti-Semitic press. 

Vienna State Opera (1898)

Nevertheless, with his innovative works and insistence on the best performances standards, he earned fame as one of the greatest opera conductors, especially as a stage performance interpreter for works by Wagner, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. Later in his life, Mahler also served as director of New York's Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic for a while.

The Metropolitan Opera House, New York (1908-09)

Since many of his works have been made by spending part time while earning his living as a conductor, Mahler's works are relatively limited. Except for early works like a piano quartet composed when he was a student in Vienna, Mahler's works were generally made for large orchestras, symphonic choruses and operatic soloists. These works were controversial when they premiered, except for his Second Symphony, Third Symphony and Eighth Symphony. 

Bronze bust of Mahler, Auguste Rodin (1909)

Some of Mahler's music successors include composers of the Second Viennese School, such as Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern, and Dmitri Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten are composers of the late 20th century who were influenced by Mahler. 

In 1955, The International Gustav Mahler Institute was founded to honor Mahler's life and achievements.

Mahler's grave, Grinzing cemetery, Vienna

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COMPOSER OF THE WEEK: 16. Antonín Dvořák

Born: September 8, 1841; Nelahozeves, Austrian Empire (Present Czech Republic)

Died: May 1, 1904; Prague, Austrian Empire (Present Czech Republic)

Nationality: Czech Republic

Occupation: Composer

Antonín Dvořák was one of the first Czech composers to be recognized worldwide as a Czech composer, who was born on September 8, 1841 and died on May 1, 1904. Following his predecessor of the nationalist music, Bedřich Smetana, Dvořák frequently used the rhythms and other elements of the folk music from Moravia and his hometown, Bohemia, to his music.

Birthhouse of Antonín Dvořák, Nelahozeves.

He showed his musical talent when he started learning the violin when he was six years old, and in 1872 held his first public concert in Prague. To gain recognition beyond the Prague, Dvořák submitted a score of his “Symphony No. 1” to a music contest in Germany, but did not win, and the score was lost for many decades without returning and then found again. 

In 1874, Dvořák submitted several works, including two additional symphonies, to the Austrian State Prize for Composition. At the time of submission, Dvořák did not know it, but Johannes Brahms was the leading member of the jury, and Brahms was very impressed with his works. The prize was awarded to Dvořák in 1874 and then again in 1876 and 1877. 

Brahms recommended Dvořák to his publishing company, Simrock, and soon Dvořák was commissioned to publish the "Slavonic Dances" by the publisher. The work was highly acclaimed by Berlin music critic Louis Ehlert in 1878, and Dvořák began to gain international fame with high sales of the sheet music of the work.

Dvořák's first work of a religious character, "Stabat Mater", was premiered in Prague in 1880 and made a huge success in London in 1883.

In 1891, Dvořák was appointed as a professor at the Prague Conservatory, and from 1890 to 1891 he wrote "Piano Trio No. 4", also called "Dumky Trio", which is one of his most successful chamber music.

Statue of Antonín Dvořák, Prague

Dvořák, who moved to the United States in 1892, became the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York City. He wrote his two most successful orchestral works, The Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” and “The Cello Concerto” while living in the United States. He also wrote “The String Quartet No. 12,” also known as “The American String Quartet”, which is his most famous chamber music during this time. 

Statue of Antonín Dvořák, Stuyvesant Square, New York City

However, Dvořák left the United States and return to Bohemia in 1895 because of his increasing recognition in Europe and homesick, along with the difficulty of getting paid.

All of Dvořák's nine operas are written in Czech except for the first work, and were intended to convey the Czech national spirit. 

The most successful of his operas to date is "Rusalka". Among his smaller works, "Humoresque No. 7" and "Songs My Mother Taught Me" are also widely performed and recorded.

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Dvořák's funeral (5 May 1904)

Dvořák's gravesite, Vyšehrad cemetery

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