Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahlerwas an Austrian late-Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. While in his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of relative neglect which included a ban on its performance in much of Europe during the Nazi era. After 1945 his...
NationalityAustrian
ProfessionComposer
Date of Birth7 July 1860
CountryAustria
The important thing is never to let oneself be guided by the opinion of one's contemporaries; to continue steadfastly on one's way without letting oneself be either defeated by failure or diverted by applause.
A true "personality" . . . is like a robust organism that, with unconscious sureness, seeks out and digests the nourishment appropriate to it and vigorously rejects that which is unsuitable.
It is a funny thing, but when I am making music, all the answers I seek for in life seem to be there, in the music. Or rather, I should say, when I am making music, there are no questions and no need for answers.
The impressions of the spriritual experiences gave my future life its form and content.
You must renounce all superficiality, all convention, all vanity and delusion.
Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.
Melodic invention is one of the surest signs of a divine gift.
With the coming of spring, I am calm again.
Fortunately, something always remains to be harvested. So let us not be idle.
A full cup of wine at the right time is worth more than all the kingdoms of this earth!
It should be one’s sole endeavor to see everything afresh and create it anew.
Tradition is tending the flame, not worshiping the ashes.
Behind me the branches of a wasted and sterile existence are cracking.
Tradition is laziness.