Gustav Mahler - Completion of an amazing draft for a symphonic Scherzo

[Gerd Prengel]

Hi, I would be very grateful, if you could give me your thoughts on this orchestration of an uncompleted draft by Mahler for a Scherzo:

www.gerdprengel.de/mahler.pdf

www.gerdprengel.de/mahler.mp3

 

Gerd

[Gerd Prengel]

Dear Liz, here in my first version ( with a bit too much reverb), you can clearly see Mahler's handwriting : https://youtu.be/DbMBdo8odVU?si=_lXTK7Wu7sZFieUr I also see that it is not his typical style but I love it ...

[Gerd Prengel]

The first recording by Park was very bad. I recorded his version anew with Noteperformer and I think now his Version sounds much better and also more like Mahler: https://youtu.be/Cmx9WONqv7o?si=6GenFNkHjd1iFxVo

[Liz Atems]

Well, it is *someone's* handwriting, that's for sure, but I am certainly not qualified to say whether or not it is Mahler's. I will take your word for it that the writing is his, assuming you have seen samples of his handwriting and can recognise it. But even assuming that the writing is Mahler's, it wouldn't be clear based on that alone whether he actually composed this, or whether he simply penned it in from someone else's sketch.

But ok, I see from the comments on YouTube that one @remomazzetti8757 chimed in to vouch for the authenticity of the sketch by way of Alban Berg - that's an authority I'll trust. (Apparently that's THE Remo Mazzetti, of Mahler 10th fame.) Anyway I still wonder about this piece and how Mahler came to write something like this during that period of his life, a period when everything else he composed had his distinctive musical personality indelibly etched into it... and this piece has none of that and sounds as if it was written by someone else entirely.

BTW, someone commented that the main theme sounded like El Jarabe Tapatio, the famous "Mexican Hat Dance". I had almost the same thought, only it was the last movement of one of Beethoven's Op. 18 string quartets that it reminded me of - I forget which one, but that theme also sounds a lot like the traditional Mexican dance.

[David]

I share some of Liz's scepticism as it seems strange that such a work could have been written around the time of the second symphony. If it was early then sure but by this time he had already developed his own inimitable style. If it is genuine then the question is why did he write something like this? Still, a new Beethoven piece or not, it is enjoyable and I can the attraction.