In Das Lied von der Erde, Gustav Mahler fused the two forms that most obsessed him — song and symphony — into a masterpiece that epitomized his musical genius and the very spirit of late Romanticism. It is a work of stunning power, one that musical artists and audiences worldwide have made a repertoire favorite, and it is reprinted here from the original full score published in Vienna by Universal-Edition in 1912.
Based on a cycle of six poems translated from the Chinese by Hans Bethge, Das Lied von der Erde, scored for tenor, alto (or baritone), and orchestra, expresses a dualism of feeling — ecstatic pleasure shadowed by dark foreboding — that characterizes not only Mahler himself but the peculiarly autumnal mood of late Romanticism as well. Throughout, Mahler calls on the orchestra to suggest the exotic atmosphere summoned by the text, and to sustain and supplement the solos with all its resources, both in the accompaniment and the extensive connecting interludes.
This sturdily bound, finely produced full score, containing an English translation of the song text is printed on fine-quality paper. It offers both amateur and professional singers and musicians — along with music lovers who enjoy following a love or recorded performance, score in hand — a lifetime of pleasurable study and intimate enjoyment of one of the most celebrated classics of 20th-century music.