ABSTRACT
The first half of Chapter 6 presents Gustav Mahler as the “song symphonist” at the turn of the 20th century. The nature of the relationship between song and symphony is explored in a detailed analysis of his First Symphony. Mahler is shown to be a composer of philosophical program music that often deals with the existential questions of the meaning of life and death.
The second half of Chapter 6 returns to the subject of the tone poem, now in the hands of Richard Strauss. The primary emphasis of the chapter is on the balance of “narrative” and “musical” form in these tone poems.
