Mahler´s Third Symphony: Sketches and Compositional Process

This project is based on a manuscript document representing a section of the first movement of Gustav Mahler`s Third Symphony, uncovered during research for the applicant`s doctoral thesis at the University of Ferrara, Italy. The manuscript belongs to a private collection. The applicant has been given the exclusive permission of the owner to study it and determine its significance. The aim of this project is to perform thorough research of the first-hand source material and to establish the role of the newly found manuscript in the genesis of the symphony, as well as to determine how the manuscript affects not only the known order of events, but also the evolution of the philosophical concept. The methods of research would be philological in the first instance, combining studies of sources with an analysis of the compositional process. The hermeneutical studies would be based on these layers of philological research. An additional dimension to be addressed is presented by structural and tonal issues, which have varying hermeneutical consequences. Other experts would be consulted, providing the opportunity for a rich exchange of opinions in order to achieve the best possible results, as well as to open new perspectives of collaboration, which would also benefit the host university. Austria is the most logical place for the realisation of this project, not only as Mahler spent most of his life there, but also due to the enormous benefits presented by the location of primary sources and the possibility to consider them in the specific context in which they were created. The concentration of active colleagues there whose work is closely related to Mahler is another important reason for choosing Austria for the project location. Close collaboration with the host professor at the University of Innsbruck, Dr. Federico Celestini, is a fundamental point, not only due to his general expertise and scholarly accomplishments, but in particular because of his widely recognized work on Mahler, especially the aesthetic dimension of Mahler`s opus. For some years, the applicant has had a productive intellectual exchange with Prof. Celestini that led, amongst other things, to the planning of this research proposal. Dr. Morten Solvik, renowned Mahler expert and the Director of IES Abroad Vienna, would also be actively involved. Additionally, Prof. Dr. Peter Revers and Dr. Reinhold Kubik would be consulted during research. Needless to say, bringing such research to the Austrian musicological community can make an important contribution to Mahler scholarship in that country, and perhaps trigger new research as well.