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)
The most important thing in music is to be honest.
I am not interested in pleasing everyone. I am interested in pleasing myself.
My music is a mirror, a mirror of the soul.
The conductor is merely the servant of the composer.
I am not a revolutionary; I am an evolutionist.
My music is a prayer, a prayer for humanity.
The symphony is a world, and it must contain everything.
I am not a prophet; I am a composer.
My music is a testament, a testament to life.
The most important thing in music is to feel it.
I am not a philosopher; I am a musician.
My music is a confession, a confession of my soul.
My music is always about the world, about the whole world. It is about the human being, about his life, his death, his destiny.
A symphony must be like the world; it must embrace everything.
The artist is a prophet. He must speak to the future.
The most important thing in music is not the notes, but the silence between them.
My symphonies are not just music; they are a confession.
To compose means to construct a world with all the technical means available, and then to destroy it again.
The creative act is a mystery. It is a gift from God.
What I want to express is the whole of life, the whole of suffering, the whole of joy, the whole of terror, the whole of hope.
Contemporaries of Gustav Mahler
Other Musics born within 50 years of Gustav Mahler (1860–1911).