Mahler Symphony No. 8

Classical Music / Symphony

Composer: Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911)

Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major is frequently called "Symphony of a Thousand" because it requires huge instrumental and  vocal forces, although it is normally presented with fewer than a thousand performers. It is one of the largest-scale choral works in the classical concert repertoire. The work was composed in a single inspired burst, in the summer of 1906, at Maiernigg, Southern Austria. The last of Mahler's works premiered in his lifetime, it was a popular success when he conducted the Munich Philharmonic in its first performance, in Munich, on 12 September 1910.




The fusion of song and symphony had been a characteristic of Mahler's early works. In his "middle" compositional period after 1901, a change of direction led him to produce three purely instrumental symphonies. The Symphony No. 8, marking the end of the middle period, returns to a combination of orchestra and voice in a symphonic context. The structure of the work is unconventional; instead of the normal framework of several movements, the piece is in two parts. Part I is based on the Latin text of a 9th-century Christian hymn for Pentecost, Veni creator spiritus ("Come, Creator Spirit"), and Part II is a setting of the words from the closing scene of Goethe's Faust. The two parts are unified by a common idea: redemption through the power of love, a unity conveyed through shared musical themes.

Mahler offered the Eighth as an expression of confidence in the eternal human spirit. In the period following the composer's death, performances were comparatively rare. However, from the mid-20th century onwards the symphony has been heard regularly in concert halls all over the world, and has been recorded many times.

Video Credit:

Mahler Symphony No. 8 / Bernstein (1975) - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Youtube, uploaded by Lennyforever.  Accessed September 12, 2017.  


Resources & Suggested Reading:

Symphony No. 8 (Mahler). en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed September 12, 2013. 

Symphony No. 8 in E-Flat Major, Symphony by Gustav Mahler.  Britannica (Online). Accessed September 12, 2013.


(c) September 2013. Updated September 12, 2017. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.