Mahler Symphony 4 Analysis

After the intermission, the orchestra played the first movement Bedächtig (thoughtfully) of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian Jewish composer. Purposefully isolating himself so he could focus on his work, Mahler completed Symphony No. 4 in a hut in Maiernigg, Austria. Bedächtig’s texture is homophonic. It’s also in sonata form and set in the key of G major at 4/4 time. The piece makes use of woodwinds (flutes, oboes, clarinets, piccolos), brass (horns, trumpets), percussion (notably, a wide variety of percussion instruments are used - for example, the triangle and sleigh balls), and strings (harp, violins, violas, cellos, bass). Bedächtig opens with a motive that will recur throughout the piece. The starting

When the second theme plays, it’s noticeably less lighter and less higher in pitch from the strings. The third theme is done by the woodwind instruments like the oboe and clarinet, which preface the use of the opening motive again. The motive is soon followed by the violin. Next, there’s the repetition of the themes played in the piece so far, but not only are they repeated, they’re fleshed out into variations. The piece slows down and makes a quiet transition as the opening motive plays, jolting the instruments into action again. The themes continue to work counterpoint against each other. The triangle can be heard throughout certain sections, the clear ringing sound making an interesting contrast to the rest of the orchestra. When the movement nears its end, the instruments are initially soft and hesitant, but then pick up in tempo and volume in unison, finally cutting the piece off at a high and enthusiastic note. Bedächtig is a fun composition to listen to, and I admit that I preferred it over the other songs of the night. The main motive in Bedächtig honestly captivated me - I always perked up at that spirited combination of flute, sleigh bells, and clarinet that came in and out of the