The Symphony No. 8 in E flat major by Gustav Mahler, known as the Symphony of a Thousand, was mostly written in 1906, with its vast orchestration and final touches completed in 1907. The symphony takes around eighty minutes to perform. E flat major is a major scale consisting of the pitches E flat, F, G, A flat, B flat, C, D, and E flat. ... This article cites its sources but does not provide page references. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Instrumentation

The American premiere of Mahler's Eighth Symphony with Leopold Stokowski conducting 1,068 performers. (Photo: The Philadelphia Orchestra Association Archives)

The symphony requires a massive number of musicians to perform, hence the nickname "Symphony of a Thousand." The work is scored for: Image File history File links 8th. ... Image File history File links 8th. ... Leopold Stokowski (born Antoni Stanisław Bolesławowicz April 18, 1882 in London, England, died September 13, 1977 in Nether Wallop, England) was the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Symphony of the Air. ...

• Woodwinds:

4 flutes, 2 piccolo parts (several to a part), 4 oboes, English horn, E-flat clarinet, doubled throughout, 3 clarinets in B flat and A , bass clarinet in B flat and A, 4 bassoons and contrabassoon.

• Brass:

8 horns in F, 4 trumpets in F and B flat, 4 trombones, and tuba.

• Percussion:

Timpani, triangle, 3 cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, deep tubular bells in A and A flat and glockenspiel.

• Keyboards:

Celesta, piano, harmonium and organ.

• Offstage instruments:

4 trumpets in F (several to a part) and 3 trombones.

• Vocal parts:

First soprano (Magna Peccatrix)

Second soprano (Una poenitentium)

Third soprano (Mater gloriosa)

First alto (Mulier Samaritana)

Second alto (Maria Aegyptiaca)

Tenor (Doctor Marianus)

Baritone (Pater ecstaticus)

Bass (Pater profundus)

Boys' choir

Mixed choirs I, II

• Strings:

2 harp parts (several to a part), mandolin (several to the part) and strings.

Note by Mahler: When large choirs of voices and strings are used, doubling of the first chair of woodwinds is recommended. A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument in which sound is produced by blowing through a mouthpiece against an edge or by a vibrating reed, and in which the pitch is varied by opening or closing holes in the body of the instrument. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The piccolo is a small flute. ... The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Cor anglais The cor anglais or English horn is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Two soprano clarinets: a Bâ™­ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. ... The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers and occasionally even higher. ... This is a contrabassoon. ... Image of a trumpet, foreground, a piccolo trumpet behind, and a flugelhorn in background. ... The horn (popularly known also as the French horn) is a brass instrument decended from the natural horn that consists of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the French horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium, and tuba. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched of brass instruments. ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ... A timpanist in the United States Air Forces in Europe Band. ... An old-fashioned triangle, with wand (beater) Angelika Kauffmann: LAllegra, 1779 The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. ... For the Japanese rock band, see Cymbals (band). ... A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. ... A tam tam is also a kind of Gong A tam is also kind of Jamaican hat, probably from the Irish tam-o-shanter. ... Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. ... Most orchestral glockenspiels are mounted in a case. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... French type, four-octave Celesta The Celesta (IPA ) is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ... A Harmonium is a free-standing musical keyboard instrument similar to a Reed Organ or Pipe Organ. ... The baroque organ in Roskilde Cathedral, Copenhagen. ... Vocal music is music performed by one or more singers, with or without non-vocal instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. ... Look up soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In music, an alto or contralto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or examples of poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... Baritone (French: ; German: ; Italian: ) is most commonly the type of male voice that lies between bass and tenor. ... A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The harp is a stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. ... A mandolin is a small, stringed musical instrument which is plucked, strummed or a combination of both. ... A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ...

Structure

The work is divided into two large parts. The first, Part I, Hymnus: Veni, Creator Spiritus is a setting of a Medieval Latin hymn by Rabanus Maurus and typically lasts about 25 minutes; one of the soprano soloists does not appear in this section. The movement is almost continuously vocal, with the hymn being sung mainly by the choirs. Despite its apparent complexity, in it can be seen a type of sonata form. Veni Creator Spiritus is a hymn normally sung in Gregorian Chant and is considered the most famous of hymns. ... A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ... Rabanus Maurus (left) presents his work to Otgar of Mainz Rabanus Maurus Magnentius (c. ... Sonata form is a musical form that has been used widely since the early Classical period. ...

The second part, Part II, Schluss-szene aus "Faust" lasts around 55 minutes, which is longer than most complete symphonies. It takes as its text the final scene of Goethe's Faust II. It is often said to be more like a cantata than a symphony, because of its extensive use of vocal soloists. The music is continuous, but it can be regarded as consisting of three sections corresponding to the last three movements of the classical symphony: first, a slow adagio section lasting for fifteen minutes with almost no singing; then a scherzo-like section; and finally a quick and lively finale.  , IPA: , (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Goethes Faust. ... A cantata (Italian, sung) is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment and generally containing more than one movement. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ... A scherzo (plural scherzi) is a name given to a piece of music or a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony. ...

Brief description of the opening of the symphony

Instead of starting with an orchestra to launch the symphony, Mahler uses the organist playing a powerful E flat major chord. (The organist has to look carefully at the conductor in a mirror for a signal to begin.) The organ cuts off, but maintains a low E-flat while the full chorus joins in with a call of "Veni!" After the first phrase, the orchestra joins, first with timpani and brass instruments, then the rest of the orchestra simultaneously with the chorus repeating the call of "Veni".

Composition

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The symphony continually uses a simple theme, sometimes just the first three notes. (E-flat, B-flat, and A-flat.) A number of themes from the first part are repeated, though often in modified form. For example, a theme first sung by the baritone in Part II concludes the immense symphony. Main melodies are continually used and sometimes altered until they are so well hidden with other small themes throughout the symphony. The theme appears in various other places. The mood changes within each of the three "sections" of Part II, and the boundaries between them are somewhat blurred. Mahler described the tremendous finale of this symphony: "Try to imagine the whole universe beginning to ring and resound." Indeed, it does, and Mahler seems to have written his most powerful, overwhelming, awe-inspiring finale of all his symphonies. Image File history File links Information. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ...

Text

Movement I (Veni, creator spiritus)

Premiere and history

Today, despite the enormous forces and cost required to stage the symphony, performances and recordings are not rare. However, the number of musicians involved in modern performances rarely reaches 1,000. In 2001, however, there was a performance celebrating an anniversary year in Basel, with over 700 singers from 16 local choirs and 200 members of the Basel Symphony Orchestra. Including around 150 aides, over 1,000 performers were involved. The premiere performance in Munich on 12 September 1910 featured a chorus of about 850, with an orchestra of 171. These massive forces led to Mahler's agent dubbing the work Symphony of a Thousand. Mahler did not approve of the title at all, but it remains. Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Basel (British English traditionally: Basle and more recently Basel , German: , French: , Italian: ) is Switzerlands third most populous city (166,563 inhabitants (2004); 690,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area stretching across the immediate cantonal and national boundaries made Basel Switzerlands second-largest urban area as of 2003). ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

This work was the first to which the publishers Universal Edition obtained an original copyright. They first published a vocal score in 1910, with a full score following in 1911. Universal Edition (UE) are a classical music publishing firm. ... Sheet music is written representation of music. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The piece was a great success at its premiere, one of few of Mahler's works to be so well received in his lifetime. It was the last premiere of one his works that Mahler witnessed before his death. He completed two further works, the orchestral song cycle Das Lied von der Erde, and his Symphony No. 9. A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in sequence as a single entity. ... Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) is particularly interesting among Gustav Mahlers symphonic works. ... The Symphony No. ...

Premieres

• World premiere: September 12, 1910, Munich, conducted by the composer.
• American premiere: March 2, 1916, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, conducted by Leopold Stokowski.
• English premiere: April 15, 1930, London, with Henry Wood conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
• Japanese premiere: December 8, 1949, Tokyo, with Kazuo Yamada conducting the Japan Symphony Orchestra (now NHK Symphony Orchestra)
• Taiwanese premiere: October 10, 1995, Taipei, with Uri Mayer conducting the National Symphony Orchestra (Taiwan) (former known as National Concert Hall Symphony Orchestra)
• Chinese premiere: October 11, 2002, Beijing, with Long Yu conducting the China Philharmonic Orchestra
• Southeast Asian premiere: May 29, 2004, Singapore, with Lan Shui conducting the Singapore Symphony Orchestra

September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Munich (German: , pronounced  ; Austro-Bavarian: Minga[2]) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria. ... is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Leopold Stokowski (born Antoni StanisÅ‚aw BolesÅ‚awowicz April 18, 1882 in London, England, died September 13, 1977 in Nether Wallop, England) was the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Symphony of the Air. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Sir Henry Wood Kt CH (3 March 1869 – 19 August 1944) was an English conductor, forever associated with the Promenade Concerts which he conducted for half a century. ... The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain. ... is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...   , literally Eastern capital) is a unique subnational administrative region of Japan with characteristics of both a prefecture and a city. ... Kazuo Yamada , born 19 October 1912—13 August 1991) was a Japanese conductor. ... The NHK Symphony Orchestra (NHK交響楽団) in Tokyo, Japan began as the New Symphony Orchestra on October 5, 1926 and was the countrys first professional orchestra. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Taipei (disambiguation). ... Uri Mayer (born August 4, 1946 in Tîrgu-Mures, Romania) is a Canadian violist and conductor. ... The National Symphony Orchestra (Chinese: 國家交響樂團, abbreviated NSO) is one of the leading orchestras in Taiwan. ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Beijing (Chinese: 北京; pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng; IPA: ;  ), a metropolis in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Long Yu (born in 1964) is currently the Music Director of the China Philharmonic and the Guangzhou Symphony. ... The China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is an orchestra founded in Beijing, China on May 25, 2000, based on the previous China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra. It is a division of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) of the Peoples Republic of China. ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lan Shui currently divides his time between his post as Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of Denmarks Aalborg Symphony, and engagements with other orchestras. ... The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), formed in 1979, is a professional orchestra with 96 musicians. ...

Trivia

• The fastest recording of the symphony is conducted by Neeme Järvi, clocking in at 70:16, while the slowest, with Wyn Morris, takes 92:45.
• This symphony marks the return to the usage of voices since the fourth symphony, the usage of a chorus since the third symphony, and a chorus with male voices since the second symphony.
• On August 26, 2006, about 90,000 people witnessed a free performance billed as the "first-ever outdoor presentation". It was given on a specially constructed stage on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, conducted by Isaac Karabtchevsky leading 412 choral singers, 8 soloists and 171 instrumentalists. It included amplification, lighting, and video screens to accompany the symphony, marking a cultural achievement. (By coincidence, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducted the same symphony on the same evening (of the "first-ever outdoor presentation") at Berwaldhallen (Berwald Hall) in Stockholm, as the concluding event at the Baltic Sea Festival.)

Neeme Järvi (born June 7, 1937) is an Estonian-born conductor. ... Wyn Morris (b. ... The Symphony No. ... The Symphony No. ... The Symphony No. ... August 26 is the 238th day of the year (239th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Copacabana is a district located in the southern zone of the city Rio de Janeiro, famous for its 4 km beach. ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Government  - Mayor Cesar Maia (PFL) Area  - City 1,260 km²  (486. ... Isaac Karabtchevsky, is a Brazilian conductor and musician of international fame. ... Esa-Pekka Salonen ( ) (born June 30, 1958 in Helsinki) is a prominent Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. ... Nickname: Location of Stockholm in northern Europe Coordinates: Country Sweden Municipality Stockholm Municipality County Stockholm Province Södermanland and Uppland Charter 13th Century Population (April 2007)  - City 782,885  - Density 4,160/km² (10,774. ...

Sound sample

• Opening of the first movement, played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera Chorus and the Vienna Singverein conducted by Georg Solti (ogg format, 18 seconds, 86KB)

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, based in Chicago, Illinois, is one of the leading orchestras in the world. ... Sir Georg Solti, KBE (pronounced ) (21 October 1912 - 5 September 1997) was a world-renowned Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. ... Ogg is an open standard for a free container format for digital multimedia, unrestricted by software patents and designed for efficient streaming and manipulation. ...

External links

• Extensive history and analysis by renowned Mahler scholar Henry Louis de La Grange
• Symphony No. 8: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.