Did Mahler write in the sonata form?

Question

I have purchased scores and recordings of Mahler's Second and Fifth Symphonies in hopes of analyzing them according to form.

I haven't had a bit of luck.
Can anyone help me?

Answer 1

Mahler composed primarily symphonies and songs; however, his approach to genre often blurred the lines between orchestral Lied, symphony, and symphonic poem.

The spirit of the Lied (German for song) constantly rests in his work. He followed Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann in developing the song cycle, but rather than write piano accompaniment, he orchestrated it instead. Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Travelling Journeyman) is a set of four songs written as a rejected lover wandering alone along the earth; Mahler wrote the text himself, inspired by his unhappy love affair with a singer while conducting at Kassel.

Keenly aware of the colourations of the orchestra, the composer filled his symphonies with flowing melodies and expressive harmonies, achieving bright tonal qualities using the clarity of his melodic lines. Among his other innovations are expressive use of combinations of instruments in both large and small scale, increased use of percussion, as well as combining voice and chorus to symphony form, and extreme voice leading in his counterpoint. His orchestral style was based on counterpoint; two melodies would each start off the other seemingly simultaneously, choosing clarity over a mass orgy of sound.

Often, his works involved the spirit of Austrian peasant song and dance. The Ländler – the Austrian folk-dance, which developed first into the minuet and then into the waltz – figures in several symphonies, as indeed do the minuet and the waltz. (All three historical stages – Ländler, minuet, and waltz – are represented in the 'dance movement' of the Ninth Symphony).

Mahler combined the ideas of Romanticism, including the use of program music, and the use of song melodies in symphonic works, with the resources that the development of the symphony orchestra had made possible. The result was to extend, and eventually break, the understanding of symphonic form, as he searched for ways to expand his music. He stated that a symphony should be an "entire world". As a result, he met with difficulties in presenting his works, and would continually revise the details of his orchestration until he was satisfied with the effect.

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rdenig_male - OK, so I am not an expert on Mahler. I was trying to provide information to the asker about Mahler's composing style, and Wikipedia, who many askers on this forum either forget about or don't seem to be aware of, does indeed offer a lot of information about a wide variety of subjects. Some of those I am an expert on anyway, some not. That doesn't make the information bad just because it wasn't off the top of my head. And hey, when people post questions because they don't want to actually research things themselves, any credible information is better than none.

Answer 2

With Mahler, it's hard to pick a particular form. He was very diversified and considered himself only to be a summer composer.
Mostly, I'd say a Ballad or Cantata (14th - 17th century).
Yet, with the ninth, he used the bible as a guide.
Another surprise was his fascination for Chinese literature. The poems he selected were in Chinese and since he didn't speak the language they ended up in a free verse translation. An example would be the 1,3, 4, and 5th pieces of Das Lied von der Erde.
I believe the Oxford Journals had an interesting article about him this past July.

Answer 3

Don't you just hate those who cut and paste from Wikipedia without really answering the question? Yes, Mahler saw himself in the Germanic symphonic tradition and wrote in sonata form - although not in all movements. There is a rondo in the 5th symphony that you mention, for example. If you wish to spalsh out a little money, I did find this book:- http://astore.amazon.com/luxautomation-20/detail/1574670255/102-7649569-8585741 which might be helpful to you