# Understanding Mahler's Second, Part 3.1



## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Understanding Mahler's Second Symphony

_*Part 3: The Middle Movements

II. Andante moderato*_*

Form*

0:00~1:14 Theme A (A-flat major)
1:14~2:36 Theme B (G-sharp minor)

2:37~4:05 Theme A' (A-flat major)
4:06~6:21 Theme B' (G-sharp minor->A-flat major->G-sharp minor)

6:22~9:29 Theme A'' "Guitar" and Coda (A-flat major)

For once, the movement is just as simple as it looks here in the outline. Two themes, both centered on A-flat/G-sharp, one in the major, one in the minor, alternating.

*Themes*

Theme A is a gentle lilting theme, balanced in an almost classical manner. I won't quote it in full, but the other phrases have similar characteristics to the first. The upward jump in bars 2 and 4 and the turn in bar 5 are particularly important.









Theme B has two important characteristics. One is a running triplet figure.









The other is a melody derived from the first theme, first heard in the flute, that runs over the triplets.









*Analysis*

The movement begins with the gentle main theme presented in the strings. The accompaniment is light, primarily staccato or pizzicato, but the melody itself moves from the first violins to the other members of the ensemble. A flute enters at the end of the melody to add warmth to the sound.

A sustained E-flat on the first horn, followed by staccato repetition, leads into the second theme, an agitated barrage of staccato triplets in G-sharp minor. Above this turmoil, a flute melody derived from the first theme seems to appear for a moment, then disappear back into the storm. Then an upward surging motif taken from the first theme appears in the clarinets and flutes, over timpani in the bass, taking on a sterner character. The storm slowly subsides and fragments, and the D-sharp turns back into the E-flat of the major.

The reappearance of the first theme, however, is overshadowed by a new melody in the cello, which Mahler specifies is to be significantly emphasized over the former. It continues throughout the section, which is scored lightly with every section of the strings (except the basses) divided further into two parts.

A sudden shift in dynamics accompanies the vigorous reentry of the second theme's triplets, now backed by the horn section, as the plaintive upward surging motif becomes increasingly urgent, leading to an outburst from the entire orchestra. This subsides, but two swells of brass lead to a full reappearance of the flute theme from earlier. Suddenly, the music brightens into the major, and a trumpet transforms the upward-leaning motif into a call of affirmation, as even the lamenting flute theme takes a brighter turn. The mood quickly darkens again as the flute is answered by strings over a steadily beating timpani pedal on E-flat. Once again the music disintegrates, sections of the orchestra disappearing one by one, until only the second violins are left playing three notes, then two, then only a single D-sharp.

This D-sharp again becomes an E-flat, now pizzicato. It grows in volume, and as the theme reenters, both it and its accompaniment are played in this manner (Mahler said it was to sound like a guitar), accompanied by staccato accents on flute and harp. Finally, the theme returns in the winds, with the cello countermelody from earlier played in the violins. The movement ends peacefully with an arpeggio on harp followed by two pizzicato chords in the strings.

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