Document Type
Student Paper
Publication Date
Summer 8-9-2019
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Music
Description, Abstract, or Artist's Statement
Gustav Mahler’s artistic philosophy was closely related to that of the Secessionists in fin-de-siècle Vienna. His work, both as the director of the Imperial Opera and as a composer, was based on the idea that art should be paramount over personal, sociological, and historical influences. Thus, Mahler should be viewed as an honorary Secessionist who, though personally distant from the Secessionist movement, continually sought higher artistic standards and freedom. This essay will focus on the first movement of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony and contemporary criticisms of the work to better understand both Mahler’s music and the environment in which he worked.
Augustana Digital Commons Citation
Estes, Grant. "Gustav Mahler: An Honorary Secessionist" (2019). Music: Student Scholarship & Creative Works.
https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/muscstudent/7