Introduction

Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911) was full of contradictions. He lived and worked as a social outsider, growing up a Jew in Bohemia, and also suffered from several physical disabilities. His music was characterized by both Romantic and modernist strains, owing much to the past but stretching its boundaries and traditions. Mahler found himself, therefore, in a difficult position. He was a composer and conductor excelling in Germanic music, but not at all German.

In Austria—and especially Vienna—at that time, this was a problem. Indeed, his national disability extended beyond just place of birth. In the eyes of much of the musical elite, Mahler was by and large a Jew. This identification, coupled with his physical ailments, placed Mahler in direct opposition to some widely held archetypes. These criteria stem from the personal philosophies and music of that master composer of German opera, Richard Wagner. His music and its effect on his followers led to an emerging concept of a "Wagnerian nation."

Thesis

The only way Mahler could overcome his other-ness was through composition. Throughout his career, he was plagued by criticism of his stature, conducting, and composition. But it was in his symphonies that he sought to redefine his nation. In each of these works, but most notably in the Third Symphony, Mahler created a "new world" within which his identity and, indeed, nation could be found.