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 artist is a prophet.
I am a man of the theater, and I know what works on stage.
The public is always wrong.
To compose means to construct a world with all the available means.
The conductor must be a dictator.
The most important thing in music is the expression.
I am not a composer for the masses.
The symphony is the mirror of the world.
My music is full of contradictions, just like life itself.
The future of music lies in the symphony.
I compose because I must.
My music is not for entertainment; it is for contemplation.
The artist is a lonely figure.
The symphony is a drama without words.
I am a musician, not a politician.
The symphony is a journey.
I am a man of my time, and my music reflects that.
The artist must be fearless.
The symphony is a confession.
I am a composer of the future.
Contemporaries of Gustav Mahler
Other Musics born within 50 years of Gustav Mahler (1860–1911).