Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahlerwas an Austrian late-Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. While in his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of relative neglect which included a ban on its performance in much of Europe during the Nazi era. After 1945 his...
NationalityAustrian
ProfessionComposer
Date of Birth7 July 1860
CountryAustria
I have become a different person. I don't know whether this person is better, he certainly is not happier.
It's not just a question of conquering a summit previously unknown, but of tracing, step by step, a new pathway to it.
God can only be comprehended as Love.
When I have reached a summit, I leave it with great reluctance, unless it is to reach for another, higher one.
It is easier to achieve a desired result in short pieces.
Tradition is the spreading of fire and not the veneration of ashes.
Never let oneself be guided by the opinion of one's contemporaries. Continue steadfastly on one's way.
It is always the same with me; only when I experience something do I compose, and only when composing do I experience! After all, a musician's nature can hardly be expressed in words.
What I wanted and what I visualized while composing has not always been realized.
To judge a composer's work, one must consider it as a whole.
The spirit can assert itself only through the medium of clear form.
Tradition is laziness.
An operetta is simply a small and gay opera.
All that is not perfect down to the smallest detail is doomed to perish.