McCaldin - Mahler and Beethovens Ninth Symphony

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Mahler and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony Author(s): Denis McCaldin Source: Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, Vol. 107 (1980 - 1981), pp. 101-110Published by: on behalf of the Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Royal Musical AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/766118Accessed: 21-10-2015 01:45 UTC

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Mahler and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony DENIS McCALDIN

THROUGHOUT his life, Mahler was profoundly influenced by Beethoven's music. Many of his symphonies are modelled on those of his predecessor, and as a conductor much of his reputation outside the opera house arose from his interpretations of Beethoven. Mahler considered performance of the Ninth

Symphony to be particularly challenging and, like others before him, he prepared his own versions of the score in an attempt to overcome some of the interpretative difficulties. It is the purpose of this article to examine these revisions with particular reference to Mahler's own working scores.'

'Tradition is laziness', Mahler once said, 'In every performance the work must be born anew'.2 This attitude stimulated and shocked many of the audiences that heard his interpretations of the standard repertoire. Not only were tempi, dynamics and phrasing often unexpectedly different, but on occasion Mahler also retouched the orchestration. Some of his re-workings, such as the arrangement of Beethoven's String Quartet op. 95 for string orchestra, seem very eccentric today, but the adjustments to the Ninth Symphony, many of which are derived from Wagner, deserve deeper scrutiny. Wagner's essay The Rendering of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony3 is still a landmark in

respect to the interpretation of this symphony. Though attacked by Gounod when it first appeared in 1873, the article skilfully analysed the main difficulties associated with performances of this work. Wagner pointed out two general problems: the failure of most nineteenth-century orchestral players to meet Beethoven's technical demands, and the composer's deafness. Lacking the historical self-consciousness of our own age, he suggested a number of textual alterations to Beethoven's score aimed at achieving greater clarity. These can be summarized in the categories shown below.4

RESTITUTION OF PARTS. This applied most often to the trumpet and horn parts, where improvements in the instrumental design since Beethoven's time made new notes available. The opening of the finale can then be re-written in a more complete form following the contours of the first flute part at the appropriate pitch. Extension to the working range of the first violins and flute also allowed the awkward octave displacement in the scherzo to be re-written starting on the high B flat, II/276-7.5

ADDITIVE ORCHESTRATION (including modification of dynamics and articulation). Wagner rightly observed that the string group often over- powered the wind instruments and suggested additional notes and a good deal of doubling. Quoting the C major theme of the scherzo (ex. 1) he suggested that the upper line should be emphasized by entrusting it to most of the wind section, i.e. flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons and four horns (II/93 et seq.). Only in this way did it seem possible to balance the theme against thefortissimo octave figure in the strings.

CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE ORCHESTRATION. Wagner felt that where



102 DENIS McCALDIN

Ex. 1: 11193 etc.

Oboes and Cltnets

Horns in D PF

Horns in Bb

modest changes such as those listed above would not suffice, it might be defens- ible to re-write certain sections of the score. In this respect he showed greater caution than many of those who followed him. A particular difficulty arises in the first movement at the eight-bar passage for woodwind marked 'espressivo', I/138-45, and at its recapitulation, I/407-14. Here Beethoven's writing for flute and oboe is very idiosyncratic and although clarity can be achieved with a little re-arrangement in the exposition, the later passage requires some substantial

Ex. 2: 114o9 Beethoven Wagner

Wagnerf~~- A Fl.

changes to the flute part (ex. 2), as well as other smaller adjustments to the sub- sidiary lines. Though few musicians today would take such bold steps, it is worth noting that both Weingartner and Mahler embraced Wagner's suggestions for this passage.

RECOMPOSITION. Wagner suggested a simple minim-crotchet-crotchet pattern (C?-A-C#) in the solo tenor part to replace Beethoven's difficult imitative writing in sixths with the alto in the last Adagio of the finale, IV/837. While this suggestion is both elegant and logical, it has never been adopted: such an



MAHLER AND BEETHOVEN'S NINTH SYMPHONY 103

extreme alteration, which amounts essentially to recomposition, apparently remains unacceptable.

Two other important commentators who knew Wagner's work subsequently published their own views on the Ninth Symphony. Sir George Grove's book Beethoven and His Nine Symphonies appeared in 1896 and Felix Weingartner's monograph On the Performance of Beethoven's Symphonies ten years later.6 In the course of an interesting analysis of the score, Grove discusses Wagner's suggestions in these terms:

Wagner seriously proposes to strengthen the melody in this place [see ex. i ] by adding horns and modern valve-trumpets, with other modifications. The wonder is that so great a composer should not have felt that any alteration of a completed work, by any but the author himself, is impossible. Mozart's authority is of no avail here. Make the same proposition in regard to a picture or a poem and its inadmissibility is at once obvious to everyone.7

Weingartner, being a conductor, is more technical. His book was published in 90o6 and is therefore contemporary with many of Mahler's own performances

(most of which were given between 1886 and 1909). The preface makes it apparent that the writer, while respectful of the musicologist's view concerning the sanctity of the original, still wished to present the Ninth Symphony in a manner that would appeal tofin-de-siecle German musical taste.8 Since this was essentially the same audience that heard Mahler's performances, it is useful to be able to examine Weingartner's book and Mahler's scores together as evidence of performance practice at that time. Weingartner took considerable care to define what alterations he considered were artistically justified. Like Mahler, he modelled his observations on Wagner's principles and his own experience. He recommended the utmost prudence in making changes to Beethoven's text in case the composer's 'own peculiar style' suffered. Weingartner commented on the horn writing in the symphonies, which he found unimaginative compared to Weber. In general his recommendations concerning the Ninth Symphony were less extreme than Wagner's. He accepted that notation could be altered to advantage (i.e. phrasing, dynamics, etc.) and that there was the need for some 'instrumental interference'. Achieving a better balance with the strings by doubling the woodwind was by this time almost standard practice and where the limited compass of an instrument caused Beethoven to omit certain notes, Weingartner was amenable to filling out the texture. But he was opposed to Wagner's obliteration of the original part writing through routine octave doubling. Like Grove he also drew attention to the problems of Beethoven's metronome markings.9 Some of the principal changes suggested by Weingartner are categorized as follows:

RESTITUTION OF PARTS. 1/19, 2nd horn takes lower octave. 1/69, 2nd bassoon plays lower C?. This note was formerly so imperfect as ro be unacceptable.

ADDITIVE ORCHESTRATION. 1/16, wind note values shortened and demisemiquaver rests inserted beforefortissimo upbeat into bar 17. This kind of adjustment to notation is of course invaluable in securing precise ensemble.



104 DENIS McCALDIN

CHANGES IN ORCHESTRATION. 1/232, oboes are added to strengthen the second violin line in this section of powerful three-part counterpoint.

IV/ 1-7, Weingartner felt Wagner's arrangement of the opening fanfare in the finale was inconsistent. In order to achieve maximum effect, the conductor suggested the following changes: oboe and clarinet B-flats to be raised to the octave above, repeated D's on the first flute, horns and trumpets to be altered to follow the melodic line (bars 5-7)-

IV/187, since the modulation does not allow the horns and trumpets to continue with the melodic material beyond this point and Beethoven requires the sameff dynamic, Weingartner assigned three players to the upper line and one to the lower in each of the woodwind parts. (Mahler chose to continue the doubling on horns and trumpets.)

RECOMPOSITION. It is characteristic of Weingartner's whole approach to the symphony that, unlike Wagner and Mahler, there is no attempt to recompose Beethoven's original score.

Mahler, like most conductors of his generation, made alterations to many scores in his repertoire, and two documents provide the main details concerning the Ninth Symphony. They are the composer's working score, with detailed changes in his own hand (BMA) and another version with them entered by a copyist (BMC),'0 both owned at one time by Peters. The flyleaf of BMC bears a second (hire?) publisher's stamp, 'Universal Edition-Wien-New York', together with the statement 'mit Instrumentalretouschen von Gustav Mahler'. The two scores are not consistent; BMC appears to be a fair copy while BMA contains a number of unusual and experimental entries such as the extensive use of piccolo and E-flat clarinet." Since it is well-known that Mahler con- stantly revised his own works, it appears likely that BMA is a working score in which the composer sketched new ideas for the instrumentation in his quest for the ideal arrangement. The instrumentation for Mahler's orchestra shows a substantial expansion over that envisaged by Beethoven (see ex. 3):

Beethoven 3*.2.2.3 . 4.2.3.0 T.3P. Strings Mahler 4" 4-4-4. 8.4-3.1. 2T.3P. Strings

Like Wagner and Weingartner, most of the alterations to Beethoven's score were made in an attempt to obtain greater textural clarity. Characteristically, however, Mahler goes furthest in allowing the importance of musical line to take preference over harmonic detail. A summary of the main features appears below, categorized as before:

RESTITUTION OF PARTS. Mahler often acknowledged that Beethoven and Wagner were the two composers he most admired. Evidence of this can be found in BMA and BMC which both incorporate essentially all Wagner's proposals in this category.




Ex. 3: 1/329-331 BEETHOVEN MAHLER

Ob. a

, I Ob. oI.

I' F I '/ I I

,I , .'F

t' .' 1. V Schallkrichter auf! aa22

Db. Tr. I I V V22 V2

SI F I

I I

V a. . . . . :

in BD rcb

mar- Db. L.'-0D.bL

Ti.

Hn Timp.

3 -x --

-A- mv.3

ain B L in F)M

in(D in D a

8i . .

..p . '

-IA



10o6 DENIS McCALDIN

ADDITIVE ORCHESTRATION. Flutes: Mahler made considerable use of* the extended range of* the instrument. Early on in the work the first flute part is altered to match the first violin line (I/23-7). Moreover the second flute part is frequently deleted to allow the player to double that of the first flute, e.g. I/187-8, etc.

Oboes and Clarinets: Mahler repeatedly altered the oboe and clarinet parts to favour a higher tessitura or less harmonically oriented line. Ex. 3 shows this clearly. The second instrument doubles the first and both are given the characteristic Mahler direction 'Schalltrichter auf (bells up).

Bassoons: Mahler freed the bassoons of their function as bass of the woodwind choir, using them instead to reinforce other lines, particularly the cellos. A good example of this re-working occurs in the first movement (I/318-20) (ex. 4):

Ex. 4: 11318 Bn.

BETHOVN MAHLR

BETHOVYEN MAHLER

Horns: The horn parts, so essential to the character of both eighteenth and nineteenth century orchestral writing, were frequently altered or rearranged. Not only were changes made to the existing four parts, but Mahler also in- troduced additional material of his own. In ex. 3 the D pedal notes of Horns 1 and 2 are deleted, being replaced by the principal descending theme (further reinforced by Horns 5 and 6) while Horns 7 and 8 double the cello line.

Trumpets: The availability of chromatic notes on the trumpet encouraged Wagner and subsequent authorities to re-write several passages including that at the opening of the finale. In his own music Mahler often favoured the instrument's lower register and perhaps for this reason there are additional notes for the second player in his version of this work (see ex. 3).

Trombones: Not only did Beethoven pioneer the use of trombones in the classical symphony, but their disposition in all his works is characteristically restrained. One of Mahler's more dubious changes is the deletion of the original trombone parts in the finale (IV/887-94) and his re-assignment of all three instruments to the choral bass line (IV/895 et seq.).

Tuba: The introduction of a tuba into the score is scarcely acceptable to modern ears. Mahler uses it to strengthen the cello/bass line at climactic points in the outer movements. The first appearance is indicated as '3Pos/Tuba', 1-3 15. As no trombones are required by Beethoven at this point, the implication in Mahler's score is that all three trombones and tuba are required to reinforce the harmony. Other passages of a similar nature occur in the finale, e.g. IV/1 and IV/2o8.

Percussion: Some of Mahler's most substantial changes to Beethoven's score concern the timpani and percussion parts. In the first movement there are a




number of deletions. The cancellation of the timpani begins at bar 1 2o and later both timpani and trumpets are affected (1/131-42 and 1/401-13). Elsewhere in the same movement Mahler requires two sets of timpani, as at bar 315, where the second player is assigned a quaver D on the first beat (see also ex. 3). In the slow movement the timpani part is deleted from bar 99 to bar 114 and at the opening of the finale Beethoven's part-writing is changed from semiquavers (i.e. a roll) to quavers at bars 4-6. Even more extreme alterations occur later which amount to recomposition (see below).

Strings: Mahler's treatment of the string orchestra also reflects attitudes pre- vailing among musicians at the end of the nineteenth century. Concern for brilliance and clarity frequently prompted him to raise the general tessitura of the string parts. In ex. 3 the second violin part is transposed upwards one octave and similar changes have been made in the violas. Sometimes this concern with orchestral effects produces the most elaborate alterations. In the first movement for example there is one passage where Mahler gradually reduces the number of players in all sections for a steep diminuendo. The indication in the first violin part over bar 117 is 5 desks, over bar 118, 4 desks, bar 119, 3 desks for the first two beats and 2 desks for the remainder. The lower strings are treated in a similar manner.

CHANGES IN ORCHESTRATION. As has already been indicated, Mahler's attempts to improve the clarity of the part-writing go much further than those of his pre- decessors. This is particularly true in terms of deletions to Beethoven's original score. Many of these changes must be viewed as recomposition, a procedure which Weingartner roundly criticized: 'on no account are we justified in a re- instrumentation of his [Beethoven's] works according to the principles of the modern orchestra.'"2 Yet the number of these deletions is substantial, suggesting perhaps that for Mahler at least, without them, unacceptable problems of balance and projection still remained. Several changes in orchestration have already been discussed; some further examples are listed below:

1/467-8, deletion of parts for Horns 1 and 2 in preparation for coda entry at bar 469. The device of resting a part in advance of an important entry is used a number of times by Mahler.

1/469, removal of first beat quaver in all woodwind, trumpets and timpani. 1/513-19, bassoon and trumpet parts deleted. 11/17-29, horn parts removed. III/99-1 14, timpani part deleted. IV/655-75, clarinets double oboes. IV/655-63, first trombone part deleted. IV/679-85, first trombone part deleted. IV/683-7, second trumpet part deleted. IV/813-14, Mahler's re-arrangements of these bars is a clear illustration of

his concern for smooth transition from one phrase to another. As a conductor, he would have experienced all too often the wind players' tendency to over- stress their last chord in bar 813 in their anxiety to make a smoother progres-



108 DENIS McCALDIN

Ex. 5: IVI8I3 [Adagio] Tempo 19

W.W. Mi

R . . /. -

sion to the new tempo in the next bar (ex. 5). Beethoven's wind chord on the last beat of bar 813 is therefore re-scored for the strings and their chord at bar 814 deleted.

RECOMPOSITION. Whereas today the Adagio is generally regarded as the finest movement in this symphony, to nineteenth-century taste it was the finale which attracted the greatest admiration. It is this movement, moreover, that holds the greatest challenges for a conductor, and it is not surprising therefore to find Mahler's most substantial changes, amounting sometimes to recomposition, in this last section. Wagner's and Weingartner's suggestions regarding the instrumentation of the Schreckenfanfaren at the opening have already been discussed. Mahler's versions embrace these ideas but add others, including four horns, three trombones and tuba. He also raises the pitch of a number of the woodwinds by an octave, e.g. second flute, second oboe, first and second clarinet and first bassoon.

Mahler's views concerning the alla marcia (IV/331 et seq.) section are important. At a performance in Hamburg on 1 1 March 187513 he directed some of the wind band to be placed off-stage, rather in the manner of the trumpet in Beethoven's third Leonore overture. This was exceptional, but at many other performances he made alterations in the orchestration with the idea of beginning this section in the quietest and most mysterious manner possible. Not only is the second bassoon deleted at the opening (bar 331 et seq.) but the third and fourth horns enter con sordini (bar 339). Seven measures later the oboe parts are re- distributed to the flutes so that Beethoven's text is not restored intact until the tenor soloist's entry at bar 374.

One of the climaxes of the finale is the passage of long, high A's for the choral sopranos at bars 718-729. Here Mahler clearly felt the need to adjust the scoring, since he reinforces the oboes with the clarinets, doubles the trumpet parts (from bar 716) and strengthens the first trombone line with the fifth and sixth horns. The most substantial re-arrangement in this passage, however,



MAHLER AND BEETHOVEN'S NINTH SYMPHONY 10g

concerns the upper strings. From bar 720 onwards, the original viola part is deleted and replaced by that of the second violins; all violins in the orchestra are then assigned to the first violin part.

At the Prestissimo (IV/851), the Mahlerian re-touchings again amount to recomposition. Apart from the missing notes in the trumpet and horn parts which are filled in following Wagner's principles, the bassoon parts are doubled by the two extra pairs of horns. If Mahler's purpose is to bring clarity to Beethoven's score, this seems a somewhat hazardous device considering the tempo indication! Moreover, the percussion parts are much altered. The first entry of the timpani, cymbals and bass drum is deleted, leaving only the triangle at bar 851. Additional timpani notes are then added at bars 856-857, while the cymbals, but not the bass drum, are restored at bar 859. Similar detailed alterations continue up to the final cadence.

Mahler's first performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was as Karl Muck's deputy at a concert in Prague on 21 February 1886. Eight years later, after studying Wagner's views in detail"4 he stunned Hamburg audiences by in- troducing his own version containing many of the alterations discussed here. There was considerable criticism of the performing edition and in 1900 a subsequent concert in Vienna also provoked hostility. Heuberger, a distinguished critic, referred to. Mahler's 'objectionable practice of re-painting classical works' as 'sheer aberration and barbarism', while Hirschfeld used the notorious 'arts versus science' issue. 'This Ninth Symphony is a triumph of' lucidity', he wrote, 'with it Mahler has asserted himself as a modernist, at least as far as this modern age impels the ship of art towards the reefs of science'.'5 Mahler's response on this occasion was to publish an apologia which was handed to all who attended the second Viennese performance.'6 In it he emphasized his respect both for Beethoven's score and Wagner's recommendations. He also stated that his performing version 'does not differ in essentials from the limits drawn by Wagner. No one could possibly call this a re- orchestration or still worse, an improvement on Beethoven'. But such changes cannot be justified in these terms alone and Mahler was deceiving himself if he thought otherwise.

Questions concerned with the reinterpretation of music from the past are in- variably complex. Mahler altered many scores, particularly his own, in his attempt to find 'definitive' versions and his motives were always sincere. His particular regard for Beethoven and for the Ninth Symphony led him to reassess his interpretation of this work several times in his career. The performing scores he has left behind are therefore of interest for a number of reasons; not only are they important as historical documents, informing us about taste in Germany and Austria around 1goo900, but they also offer unusual evidence of the interaction of one great composer's mind upon another's.



1 10 DENIS McCALDIN

NOTES

1 The author is indebted to the Librarian of Southampton University for permission to reproduce extracts from material in the Anna Mahler Collection, which contains Mahler's annotated scores of a number of other works by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, etc.

2 J. Machlis, Introduction to Contemporary Music (London, 1963), 75. 3 Richard Wagner's Prose Works, trans. H. A. Ellis, v (London, 1896), 231. 4 These categories are listed in this form by the author for convenience. 5 This abbreviation indicates the second movement (II) bars 276-277. 6 Trans. J. Crossland (New York, n.d.). 7 Grove, op. cit., 357. The Mozart reference presumably alludes to the re-orchestration of

Messiah, Alexander's Feast, etc. 8 See also Weingartner's editions for the Berlioz Gesamtausgabe. 9 Grove, op. cit., 337; Weingartner, op. cit., 157, 165. to Both scores are part of the Anna Mahler collection at Southampton University. Unless otherwise

indicated, reference in this discussion is confined to BMC. 11 Details of a particularly colourful Mahler version of the symphony used at Hamburg on 11

March 1895 (which has not survived) are given by Emil Krause. See K. Blaukopf, Mahler (London, 1976), 199.

12 Weingartner, op. cit., vi. 13 H.-L. de La Grange, Mahler (New York, 1973), 323; see also Blaukopf, op. cit., 199. 14 de La Grange, op. cit., 538. 15 de La Grange, op. cit., 556. 16 M. Kennedy, Mahler (London, 1974), 190.



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