The Musical Language of Kindertotenlieder No. 2

Abstract

Three times during his compositional career, Mahler turned to the medium of the orchestral song cycle either to experiment with or to refine certain technical procedures. This resulted in a variety of methods for establishing large-scale tonal coherence, using song as a resource for later symphonic composition, and stylizing folk material, melodically and rhythmically. These compositional techniques are clearly exemplified in Mahler's three cycles, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (1883-85), Kindertotenlieder (1901-04), and Das Lied von der Erde (1907-08).' Aside from general compositional matters, the specific analytical issues raised by these works are perhaps most acute in Kindertotenlieder. Although the central issue remains the nature of Mahler's musical language, other considerations, notably the possibility of autobiographical associations and the source of the profound expressivity of this music, have been mentioned by various commentators.2 Certainly, there is no doubt about the delicate expressivity of the melodic lines in No. 1, the reinterpretation of these in an atmosphere of Tristan-like harmonies in No. 2, the folk elements in Nos. 3 and 4, and the intense drama which pervades No. 5 and subsides, almost ironically, in a Wiegenlied. Of the five songs, however, No. 2 stands out because of the complexity of its musical vocabulary and the concentration of its expression. This paper attempts to elucidate some of the technical procedures in this song as an introduction to the nature of Mahler's musical language. Three aspects of the song are addressed: Mahler's reading of Riickert's poem, the melodic process, and the tonal/harmonic structure. The following remarks are not meant to represent a complete analysis of the song; rather,