Mar 28, 2024  
College Catalog 2019-2020 
    
College Catalog 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

GRMUS H659 — The Life and Times of Gustav Mahler

2 credits
Fall
John J.H. Muller

Gustav Mahler lived during a turbulent time in European history, when the established political, social, and artistic norms were changing, when Romanticism was in transition to the Modernist age. In gaining an understanding of Mahler’s achievement and his place in music history, we will consider issues such as the expansion of the orchestra and symphonic form, the connections between Mahler’s songs and symphonies, and the autobiographical and programmatic elements often found in his music. Mahler’s career as a conductor will also be examined. His works will be placed in the context of fin-de-siècle European culture, with references made to contemporaries such as Bruckner, Strauss, and Schoenberg.