MAHLER’S SONGS OF A WAYFARER

Gustav Mahler composed his SONGS OF A WAYFARER in 1885, setting his own poems for voice and piano, and then orchestrating them in 1890. Three of them have been transcribed for band in this publication: At a Wedding (I.”Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht”), In the Countryside (II.”Ging heut Morgen übers Feld”), and Farewell (IV.”Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz” — also used by Mahler in the slow movement of his First Symphony). All of the songs have the flavor of folk music, with pentatonic melodies and gentle, simple harmonies. But in Mahler’s hands this musical language becomes evocative and almost impressionistic, full of contrasts between simple joy and tragic sorrow—and always nostalgic in a Mahleresque way. These transcriptions by Steven Paxton provide a way to introduce young band musicians to the music of a great European master composer who did not himself compose for band.

DURATION: 11:30