Product Description

Available again for a new generation of Mahlerians, Donald Mitchell's famous study of the composer's early life and music was greeted as a major advance on its first appearance in 1958. Revised and updated in the early 1980s, this paperback edition includes a new introduction by the author to bring this classic work once again to the forefront of Mahler studies. From his birth in Bohemia, then part of the mighty Austro-Hungarian empire, to a survey of his early works, many now lost, Gustav Mahler: The Early Years forms an indispensable prelude to the period of the great compositions. The conflicts which came to mark Mahler's music and personality had their beginnings in his childhood and youth. Without understanding the territorial, social and familial conflicts of this time one cannot truly appreciate the impulses behind the major symphonies and song cycles of his later years. DONALD MITCHELL was born in 1925. Two composers have been central to his writings on music, Gustav Mahler and Benjamin Britten. His three studies of Mahler, The Early Years (1958), The Wunderhorn Years (1975), and Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death (1985), are among the enduring monuments of postwar Mahler literature. He was founder Professor of Music at the University of Sussex (1971-76), was visiting Professor at King's College, London, and is currently a visiting Professor at the Universities of Sussex and York.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1570410 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
"Mitchell's biographical thoroughness, his scrupulousness with references, and his way of elucidating the various versions of a work are well known and widely admired." -- Times Literary Supplement

"Mitchell's chronicle of Mahler's first 20 years succeeds in constructing a biography from 'fragmentary, incoherent, and often contradictory Mahler literature.' Buttressed by copious notes and an extensive appendix, Mitchell traces Mahler's formative experiences and creative efforts preceding the symphonies." -- Robert Riley, Los Angeles Times

About the Author
DONALD MITCHELL was born in 1925. Two composers have been central to his writings on music, Gustav Mahler and Benjamin Britten. His three studies of Mahler, The Early Years (1958), The Wunderhorn Years (1975), and Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death (1985), are among the enduring monuments of postwar Mahler literature. He was founder Professor of Music at the University of Sussex (1971-76), was visiting Professor at King's College, London, and is currently a visiting Professor at the Universities of Sussex and York.