The study of Symphony No.3-6th movement
■ My encounter with Symphony No.3-6th movement
I wrote a review of the 6th movement of Symphony No.3, a masterpiece by Mahler.
I got to know this piece through commentary books such as "History of Western Music - Twilight of Classical."
■ Impressions of Symphony No.3-6th movement
The opening of this melody gave an idyllic impression.
It is a tune that anyone can hum.
Generally, musicians seek to compose something that no one has ever heard, something that captures attention and remains memorable.
However, this piece maintains an atmosphere that even an ordinary person could create by humming.
I think this is because Mahler intentionally excluded originality and complex techniques from the melody.
I speculated that this might have been because Mahler had the intention of creating a particular worldview.
■The historical background of Gustav Mahler's activities.
From 1860 to 1911, the period when Mahler was active, ancient religions such as Roman Catholicism in modern Europe had become more of a custom and seemed to lack the power to evoke sacredness and mystery in people as they used to.
God had already fulfilled His work.
God is dead.
It seems that religion had become a means for people to advance their careers and reveal themselves, some seeking power and others pursuing scholarship.
Mahler himself, whose parents were Jewish, is said to have converted from Judaism to Roman Catholicism for his career.
The powerful God, who once wiped out invading enemy nations with an army of angels,
the merciful God, who saved people by sending rain and manna when they were starving and prostrate on dry soil,
the compassionate God, who healed and freed the blind, the lame, the suffering, and the guilty.
If all of these were mere fairy tales only found in books...
This outrageous world where miracles have ceased, prayers are futile, and the image of God is unseen.
Even if we see or hear something that seems miraculous somewhere, in the end, it is nothing more than a human device or will be explained by science.
The power of religion, which once gave people the hope and conviction to overcome even death, has disappeared.
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus quotes the Bible: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
Human beings always seek something to satisfy their spirits, even if their focus shifts from religion or God to something else.
Perhaps the powerful and the powerless, the wealthy and the poor, the wise and the uneducated, and even Mahler himself were hungry for emotions that transcended human understanding.
Life is often about survival, neglecting self-preservation, sophistry, takeovers, bribes, counterarguments, and excuses.
Instead, they would have wanted to believe in a supreme being who punishes the weak heart that escapes into such evil ways and pierces the soul with a heartache.
From around 19:30 in the video of the last part of the 6th movement of Symphony No. 3,
the first melody, described as idyllic at the beginning, reappears with a solemn arrangement.
If Mahler had a Jewish view of religion, this music might represent the world of the Old Testament.
■ Feel the re-creation of the time when God lived.
It is like a reenactment of the story of an era when God was still alive, and people prayed on earth and the heavens opened and answered prayers on a scale beyond imagination.
Humans are powerless, ignorant, and small beings.
But if they humbly pray, even if it is a dull word, God will answer and solve everything.
Of course, is it a dream, a fantasy, or a fairy tale?
But at least in music, we can create and immerse ourselves in such a world.
We can sympathize with others.
I thought Mahler created with that in mind.
References: History of Western Music-Twilight of "Classic" Akeo Okada (Author)
"4'33" by John Cage may have been heard by anyone who is interested in classical music. 4'33" - John Cage | Who can call silence is music. Or no one has heard of it. Because it is Tacet itself.
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