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The Symphony No. 6 in A minor by Gustav Mahler is an Austrian symphony in four movements, composed between 1903 and 1904 (rev. 1906; scoring repeatedly revised). Mahler conducted the work's first performance in Essen on May 27, 1906. , Sometimes referred to by the nickname ''Tragische'' ("Tragic"), Mahler composed the symphony at what was apparently an exceptionally happy time in his life, as he had married Alma Schindler in 1902, and during the course of the work's composition his second daughter was born. This contrasts with the tragic, even nihilistic, ending of No. 6. Both Alban Berg and Anton Webern praised the work when they first heard it. Berg expressed his opinion of the stature of this symphony in a 1908 letter to Webern as follows: ::''Es gibt doch nur eine VI. trotz der Pastorale.'' (There is only one Sixth, except for the ''Pastoral''.) == Instrumentation == The symphony is written for a large orchestra comprising: * woodwinds: piccolo (used only in the finale), 4 flutes (flutes 3, 4 doubling as piccolos 2, 3), 4 oboes (oboes 3, 4 doubling as English horns 2, 3) (1st English horn is used only in the Scherzo), English horn (used only in the finale), clarinet in E-flat and D (doubling as clarinet 4 in A for one short passage in the finale), 3 clarinets in B-flat and A, bass clarinet in B-flat and A, 4 bassoons (4th bassoon is used only in the finale), contrabassoon * brass: 8 horns in F, 6 trumpets in B-flat and F (trumpets 5, 6 are used only in the finale), 4 trombones, tuba * percussion: timpani (2 players), deep bells unpitched (used only at the finale offstage), cowbells (used offstage & onstage) (offstage at movement 1 & the finale, onstage at movement 3), bass drum, triangle, snare drum, cymbals, whip (used only in the finale), tam-tam, rute (used only in the finale), glockenspiel, hammer1 (used only in the finale), xylophone * keyboards: celesta * strings: 2 harps, violins i, ii, violas, cellos, double basses 1The sound of the hammer, which features in the last movement, was stipulated by Mahler to be "brief and mighty, but dull in resonance and with a non-metallic character (like the fall of an axe)." The sound achieved in the premiere did not quite carry far enough from the stage, and indeed the problem of achieving the proper volume while still remaining dull in resonance remains a challenge to the modern orchestra. Various methods of producing the sound have involved a wooden mallet striking a wooden surface, a sledgehammer striking a wooden box, or a particularly large bass drum, or sometimes simultaneous use of more than one of these methods. As in many other of his compositions, Mahler indicates in several places that extra instruments should be added, including two or more celestas "if possible," "several" triangles at the end of the first movement, doubled snare drum (side drum) in certain passages, and in one place in the fourth movement "several" cymbals. While at the beginning of each movement Mahler calls for 2 harps, at one point in the Andante he calls for "several," and at one point in the Scherzo he writes "4 harps." Often he does not specify a set number, especially in the last movement, simply writing "harps." While the first version of the score included slapstick and tambourine, these were removed over the course of Mahler's extensive revisions. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Symphony No. 6 (Mahler)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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