Ludwig van Beethoven
Gustav Mahler's orchestration of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
Gustav Mahler's orchestration of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was a decades-long project to modernize the symphony through the incorporation of modern instruments and techniques. Mahler's orchestration
Background#
By the mid-nineteenth century questions regarding the orchestration of Beethoven’s work attracted the attention of major composers. Richard Wagner addressed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in two key texts, Zu Beethoven’s Neunter Symphonie in 1846 and Zum Vortrag der neunten Symphonie Beethovens, 1873. Wagner’s alterations were based on two premises: Beethoven’s deafness and the technical development and capabilities of newer instruments. In contrast, Mahler argued that editing was necessary in performances of Beethoven’s works. Mahler first performed Beethoven’s Ninth in 1886 in Prague, which he reportedly conducted from memory.
Orchestration and instrumentation#
Mahler’s orchestration was a substantial change to the instrumentation of Beethoven’s original score. Most notable is the addition of four horns and a tuba (which did not exist when Beethoven wrote the symphony). Shorthand for orchestra instrumentation for Mahler’s re-orchestration compared to Beethoven’s original (reproduced from McCaldin ): Perhaps most controversially, Mahler deleted several parts for horns and woodwinds, and altered the tessitura of string parts.
Performances in Vienna and Mahler’s response to critics#
Mahler conducted his version of the Ninth as head of the Vienna Philharmonic on February 18, 1900. Critics savaged the orchestration, one calling it “scarcely recognizable” and a “forgery”. Mahler’s response to critics stressed that he had proceeded carefully, noted that he was not the first conductor to make changes to the Ninth, and stated that he had a “veneration” for Beethoven. K.M. Knittel suggests that pervasive antisemitism in fin-de-siècle Vienna offers the best explanation for critics’ reactions.
New York performances#
Mahler conducted his version of the Ninth in New York City in April 1909 and again in April 1910. The orchestration provoked less criticism in New York than it had in Vienna.
- Composer
- Ludwig van Beethoven