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)
My life's work is a song of the cosmos.
My music is like a dream, a vision, a world that I have created for myself.
The symphony must be like the world; it must embrace everything.
A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything.
The artist is a vessel through which the universe expresses itself.
The most important thing in music is what is not written.
The artist must be a prophet, a seer, a visionary.
The conductor is merely the medium through which the composer speaks.
There is no such thing as a small role, only small actors.
The artist is a mirror reflecting the world.
The symphony is the highest form of music.
Music is the most direct expression of the human spirit.
The conductor must be a dictator, but a benevolent one.
My music is always about life and death.
The most important thing in art is truth.
Music begins where words end.
The conductor must be a psychologist.
The artist must be a solitary figure.
My music is a cry from the heart.
The most important thing in music is emotion.
Contemporaries of Gustav Mahler
Other Musics born within 50 years of Gustav Mahler (1860–1911).