Mahler: Symphony No. 6 - An Analysis

[@yogatonga7529]

I love every symphony of Mahler, but this is my favourite!

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Thank you for commenting! I’ve just posted my video about Mahler 9. Thanks

[@clonebin0]

great analysis!

[@marisalouisa4518]

It was nice to hear him admit the final movement took him some time to figure out structurally, but I have to admit it took me at least 5 times listening to put it together, and I am glad he called those fillers "interludes" which really enhance the final movement. The last part does sound a bit "metal" at the very end, but I think the end of the first movement really rocks too.

[@jamesedwards9690]

This deserves wayyyy more views. I am currently studying Mahler's approach to harmony and this video has cleared up alot of things about the structure and forms in this symphony. Very to the point, far better than a conductor interview. Can't thank you enough for the video. Keep up the good content 👌

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Thanks very much. It’s comments such as yours that keep me motivated to do these videos. I’m glad to be of some help

[@michaelstearnes1526]

I've loved this symphony since first encountering it on a recording by the Rotterdam Festival Orchestra conducted by Eduard Flipse. (Mono.) I dont recall the order of the middle movements however. Thanks for your interesting and insightful presentation. Best wishes.

[@nordicman595]

I attended Mahler's 6th live today. Your analysis was very helpful for me having an insightful experience. Thanks!

[@vincentsheehan3193]

That’s great! Thanks for commenting

[@laragarcia2014]

Thank you so much! Your videos are really helpful.

[@jacobstarling734]

Thanks so much for that illuminating video! I'd always been confused by the structure of the 4th movement, so I loved having it explained to me

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Thank you for watching Jacob

[@red120]

Really lovely to hear you share your observations, thank you!

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Thanks for watching!

[@q-tuber7034]

Lol, everyone’s a critic! Good content and nice job with the demonstrations. I am seeking a deeper understanding of the structure of the finale, and your analysis is helpful.

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Thanks for watching - I hope to have a video out for Mahler’s 5th shortly.

[@jdiwkall]

hello fellow admirer of Mahler's works, i love Mahler's 6th symphony very much and I find it very cool you can play snippets of it on the piano and violin.

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Thanks very much for watching and also for your kind comment

[@jakobpetropoulos8850]

Excellent presentation, very informative. Bravo 👏

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Thank you for commenting

[@cogangsters7705]

inspiring

[@theyoutubetroll6679]

I approve of the Wii U and Switch in the background!

[@vincentsheehan3193]

You can’t beat playing Mario Kart whilst listening to Mahler - it kind of gives you the edge

[@Juan-hs8qq]

Thank you for your clever, clear analysis. Could you please tell the name of the very last chord in the finale?. I mean the final disturbing explosion.

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Guiem Bassa it is simply an A minor chord played fortissimo by the whole orchestra. It’s a very bleak ending isn’t it? Thank you for watching

[@Juan-hs8qq]

@@vincentsheehan3193 Pretty bleak ending, indeed. The simplicity of that chord doesn't reduce its effectiveness. Ending an A minor work with that chord doesn't seem very elaborate, either. Apparenty, its stregth lies in the fortissimo and the tutti after the preceding calm, or so it seems to me as an absolute beginner. As such, there is a general question I'd like to ask you. If the symphony had been written in A# minor, the ending chord would be A# minor as well, and all the notes in the piece would be a semitone higher. My question is: would anyone notice the difference? (besides the minority of listeners with absolute pitch, of course). I mean, a work's key seems to be important up to the point that it is often part of its name (Canon in D, Waltz in A minor, Minuet in G...). I understand that certain works with vocals find some sense in the key selection, since the vocal range of singers is limited, and the overall "design" of the piece is intended for a certain note span. However, this doesn't seem so important in most instruments or an orchestra, despite which the tonality remains as an important matter. In other words: if Chopin's Etude Op. 19 No. 5 was "White Keys" instead of "Black Keys", would that make any difference in terms of musicality? Do different tonalities contain different meanings (besides major vs. minor), as is the case with colors?

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Guiem that’s a really good question. If this piece was in A# minor you might not necessarily tell the difference, although you might notice that the themes etc sound a bit higher - particularly if you know the piece well. It would make the piece a lot harder to play though - certainly for the strings. A minor works well for strings as it contains open A & E strings (for violins anyway). Therefore there is a certain resonance to this key. If everything was shifted up a semitone, the timbre would be different (unless the instruments re-tuned) - everything might sound more constricted. I don’t have perfect pitch, but when I played in a period instrument string quartet and everything was tuned a bit lower, I kept finding myself playing sharp to compensate. So even if you don’t have perfect pitch, you may still be aware of the ‘rightness’ of particular keys to particular pieces. I hope that makes sense!

[@snagant]

Maybe you should say that the major-minor thing comes from Wagner. It was very much used after he did it.

[@paulzimmerman6323]

Beethoven uses it in his 7th allegretto movement. A major to A minor chord suspension

[@adamryan5538]

Why did you start on the 6th, what happened in the first 5? No wonder I'm confused?

[@vincentsheehan3193]

I just listened to it recently and thought i'd analyse it. I know the others well too - so i'll probably add those soon as well.

[@quietmind7476]

I'm not even listening to the commentary. I'm too engrossed in the playing samples both on violin and piano.

[@vincentsheehan3193]

Thank you for commenting!

[@meh_mooshi3106]

Sir cut to the chase and play the music