ABSTRACT
Das klagende Lied shows Gustav Mahler's intimate familiarity with folk poetry and his empathy with the simple mood of the fairy tale, which he was able to imbue with profound humanity. The poem is almost more powerful than the music, which retains certain operatic features. Mahler moved almost exclusively in Bruckner circles and according to reports took part in activities of the Academic Wagner Society, one of whose founders was his childhood friend Guido Adler. If the Bruckner experience did have an effect on him, then it was a process that was played out in his subconscious and one which only became outwardly visible years in the works of Mahler the symphonist. The operatic version was completed in 1880. Only in 1888 did Mahler conclusively revise it into a choral work with orchestra. Mahler's visit to the agent resulted in the offer of an engagement as conductor in the summer theatre at Bad Hall, Upper Austria.
