PersonalGroup
Start free

Mahler · Gustav Mahler

Mahler Symphony No. 7 in E minor "Song of the Night"

A symphony that began with a rhythm that came to him while rowing

Key
E minor
Composed
1905
Premiere
1908 Prague
Duration
About 80 min
Movements
5 movements
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 5·4·5·4 (including piccolo, English horn, E♭ clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabassoon) · Brass 4·3·3·1 (+ tenor horn) · Timpani · Percussion (bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, triangle, tam-tam, tambourine, cowbells (including offstage), rute, glockenspiel, bells) · 2 harps · Guitar and mandolin · Strings

The story behind this piece

The nickname "Song of the Night" wasn't given by Mahler, and Mahler didn't like the name. The nickname comes from the second and fourth movements being titled "Nachtmusik" (Night Music). These two movements were sketched first, in the summer of 1904, and the rest was written in the summer of 1905.

Mahler struggled all summer of 1905 with the piece stuck, and on the way home he found his clue in a boat crossing the lake. He wrote to Alma, "At the first stroke of the oars, the theme of the first movement's introduction, or rather its rhythm and mood, came to me."

It was premiered on September 19, 1908, in Prague, with Mahler conducting the Czech Philharmonic, but both the audience and the players were bewildered, and the response was poor. Schoenberg, on the other hand, thought highly of the piece.

What to listen for

  • Opening of the first movement: an unusual brass instrument, the "tenor horn," plays a dark melody.
  • Fourth movement: a guitar and mandolin join the orchestra and create a serenade atmosphere.
  • Second movement: cowbells sound faintly from far away.

Listen · Score

Credits