II.

Mahler’s Life

Mahler was born July 7, 1860, in Kalischt, Bohemia (then part of the Austrian Empire and now modern Kaliště in the Czech Republic). In 1875 he was accepted at the Vienna Conservatory, where he studied piano, harmony, and composition. From 1877 until 1880 he attended lectures in history and philosophy at the University of Vienna. He also had lessons in composition from Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, whose symphonies Mahler later promoted.

Mahler’s first job as conductor was in summer operetta at Bad Hall, Austria, in 1880. It was followed by subordinate conducting positions in a number of central European cities: Laibach (now Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1881); Olmütz (now Olomouc, Czech Republic, 1882); Kassel, Germany (1883-1885); Prague (now Czech Republic, 1885); and Leipzig, Germany (1886-1888). Job-hopping from one provincial city to another while climbing the ladder was the typical path for a young conductor. More important positions followed: director of the Royal Opera in Budapest (1888-1891) and chief conductor of the Hamburg Opera (1891-1897).

Mahler’s goal was Vienna. The most prestigious post in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was director of the Imperial Opera in Vienna. It was offered to Mahler in 1897. Because imperial appointments were not open to Jews, Mahler, a nonobservant Jew, converted to Roman Catholicism. He led the Imperial Opera for the next ten years, until 1907. Through his efforts Vienna attained world prestige as an operatic center.

In 1898 Mahler took over as conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, as well. His dictatorial manner with orchestra members and soloists made him enemies among musicians, and his re-orchestration of symphonies by other composers, including Beethoven and Schumann, did not go unnoticed by audiences and critics.

Mahler’s numerous concert engagements in addition to his opera responsibilities left him little time to compose. His creative activity took place primarily during summer holidays in the Austrian countryside. Conflicts with the orchestra and increasingly hostile reception from critics, exacerbated by Viennese anti-Semitism, took a growing toll. In 1901 Mahler gave up his Philharmonic position and the following year married Alma Schindler, a gifted musician almost 20 years younger. In 1907 Mahler resigned from the Imperial Opera. Later that year, soon after the death of their older daughter at the age of four, Mahler learned that he had a serious heart condition.

Mahler needed to conduct to earn a living. He accepted an offer from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, making his debut with Richard Wagner’s opera Tristan and Isolde in January 1908. He remained principal conductor for two seasons, and in 1910 became conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Mahler met with limited success in the United States. The audiences and critics were largely unprepared for the advanced repertory he offered. Accustomed to having almost unlimited power in Vienna, he was unprepared for the resistance he met from management and boards of trustees in New York. In 1911 his heart condition forced Mahler to give up the Philharmonic position. He returned to Vienna where he died on May 18, 1911, at the age of 50.