John Mahler's First Movement

Music Description
Langsam . Schleppend (Slowly, dragging)
The first movement was in modified sonata form and started off with strings playing harmonics creating a ghostly scene and then the woodwinds play a rhythm pattern. As the piece goes on, it is obvious that Mahler is trying to recreate a nature scene in his first movement. To match the dark setting that started the movement is little bits of music that poke out. An example would be, throughout the sluggish melody an awaking would call that was slow, but surely came closer and more apparent in the movement by the various woodwinds, and each section represents each animal waking up on the first day of spring which is shown by slow and groggy texture, and then it creates the exposition of all the animals happy and celebrating spring. Birds were the dominant animal that came across by the clarinet and the flute. As the movement goes on, spring time is developed and is programmatic with sunshine and cheerful rhythms. The orchestra blooms like a flower, especially the cello with the melody. Then a triumphant, notable crescendo at the end of Movement one made it explode with the complex rhythms and bowings in the violins and fortissimo throughout the whole group. …show more content…
The strings came out very strong and the theme of nature was brought back to life. The clattering sounds are the violas and cellos using the bow technique of Col legno. The trio was tender and even a tipsy feeling, with glissandos for the strings and dissonant harmonies for the winds, and then the heroic feeling triumphs once again ending the second