Pablo Massa <[log in to unmask]> replies to me:

>>Another problem, and this goes for Mahlers symphonies, is that the printed
>>editions of the symphonies, and Mahlers originals, contradict each other.
>>Mahler fluctuated the tempo very much in his own conducting, and I think
>>that he intended the tempos in his symphonies to be taken more fluctuative
>>that he notated.
>
>How do you know that?.

* Reading the very detailed eyewithnesses (Strauss, Bauer-Lechner a.o.)
descriptions of Mahlers conducting.

* Reading Mahlers own ideas about conducting, or Wagners "On Conducting".

* Listening to early recordings, clokcing the tempos, and comparing them
with newer performances.

* Reading the complimentary tempomarks Sibelius published as addition to
his symphonies.

* Looking in a Strawinky score.

* etc etc.

>Mahler was another obsessive of tempo and dynamic marks.  When he wants a
>fluctuation of the tempo, he indicates it with all precission.  See "Wenn
>mein Schatz.." bars 1-43:  10 changes of tempo in 43 bars (all of them
>perfectly notated);

These songs are a bit different from the symphonies, but there can be
many reasons to that you describe here, Mahler cared very much for this
passage, or you atre picking an exception are two of those possible
reasons.  But one could speculate; there might after all have been some
sort of consencus on how to treat tempos (I draw this conclusion from
specific circumstances), and this passage might just differ from that
pattern.  Precise tempoindications are uncommon in Mahler though.

>...or "Kindertotenlieder", first song, bar 55:  he doesn't indicates any
>fluctuation of tempo until this precise bar.

I have two things to reply to this:

1) That says not that there isn't supposed to be tempochanges before bar
55.

2) This is the reason to why Weingartner andf Toscanini could begin to
change the Wagner-Buelow-Mahler conductory tradition, in direction towards
that type of approach to tempo we have today.

Mats Norrman
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