Gustav Mahler spent 14 years exploring the musical potential of German folk poetry, and this volume comprises some of his most significant work. It features authoritative editions of his settings of five poems by Friedrich Ruckert, known as the Ruckert Lieder "Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder" (Look not, love, on my work unended); "Ich atmet einen linden Duft" (I breathed the breath of blossoms red); "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" (O garish world, long since thou hast lost me); "Um Mitternacht" (At midnight hour); and "Liebst du um Schonheit" (Lovst thou but beauty). A pair of songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth's Miraculous Horn) are also featured: "Revelge" (The dead drummer) and "Der Tamboursg'sell" (The drummer-boy).

Author Biography

Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) wrote chiefly symphonies and Lieder. Late Romantic in style, his tempestuous works reflect the anxious mood of Europe at the turn of the 20th century. Because of his Jewish roots, the composer's music was suppressed by the Nazis but has enjoyed a steady revival over the past five decades.