Genesis of the Rondo-Finale

Abstract

This chapter explores physical traces of Mahler’s compositional process for the Finale of the Seventh, asking to what extent compositional materials can inform an interpretation of the music. “In-betweens” and inserts constitute one of the main characteristics of this movement. As shown in Chapter 5, one of these interruptions was added later in a preliminary draft. This is a case of striking resonance between the genesis of a passage and what the music achieves in its final form. A close reading of the compositional materials for the Finale questions the idea of the Seventh as a consequence of the Sixth, showing that the composition of both works was more entangled than previously thought. The numerous connections that can be drawn between different manuscript sources containing preliminary sketches (sketchbooks and larger leaves) allow us to trace some of the compositional experiments Mahler pursued before abandoning them in the final version.