Gustav Mahler
Visionary symphonist who bridged Romanticism and Modernism
Most quoted
"The important thing is never to let oneself be guided by the opinion of one's contemporaries; to continue steadfastly on one's way without letting oneself be either defeated by failure or diverted by applause."
— from Letter, 1902
"The further I get in my development, the more I see that the ultimate goal of the artist is to achieve *through his art* the picture of the world which is purely his own."
— from Letter to Max Marschalk, 1896
"The point is not to take the world's opinion as a guiding star but to go one's way in life and working unerringly, neither depressed by failure nor seduced by applause."
— from Letter to Max Kalbeck, 1902
All quotes by Gustav Mahler (346)
A symphony must be like the world; it must contain everything.
The conductor is merely the midwife of the composer's creation.
The most important thing in music is to know when to stop.
I am a man of the mountains, and I have no time for the lowlands.
Don't bother me with your theories. I am a practical man.
My music is not for everyone. It is for those who can hear it.
The public is always right, but it is also always wrong.
I have only one ambition: to be a great composer.
My symphonies are not just music; they are a worldview.
I am not a musician; I am a composer.
The most important thing in music is to have something to say.
I don't compose; I am composed.
My music is a reflection of my life.
I am not interested in writing pretty music. I am interested in writing true music.
My music is a struggle, a struggle for meaning.
The symphony is the world; it must embrace everything.
I am a man of contradictions, and my music reflects that.
My music is not for the faint of heart.
I am not a genius; I am a worker.
My music is a journey, a journey into the unknown.
Contemporaries of Gustav Mahler
Other Musics born within 50 years of Gustav Mahler (1860–1911).