Otto Mahler
Encyclopedia
Otto Mahler was a Bohemia
n-Austria
n musician
and composer
who committed suicide at the age of twenty-one.
The twelfth child of Bernard and Marie Mahler, Otto was born in Jihlava
and resembled his elder brother Gustav Mahler
in displaying a special talent for music at an early age.
Gustav Mahler was already Director of the Royal Opera in Budapest
when Otto Mahler entered the Vienna Conservatory in 1888 at the age of 15. Natalie Bauer-Lechner
's memoirs describe Otto as having been "liberated from his father's business" by Gustav -- who became head of the family, and financially responsible for Otto, upon the deaths of Bernard and Marie in 1889.
Commentary on Otto's life tends to assert that he was a talented student. He appears to have been less diligent than his brother had been, however. After a few successful terms studying harmony and counterpoint with Anton Bruckner
and piano with Ernst Ludwig, his marks declined, and the annual report for his first year shows that for some reason he took no final examination in composition. From that point on his academic performance was increasingly poor, and in April 1892, Otto Mahler left the Conservatory without a diploma.
With the help of his brother, Otto was able to find minor musical posts in provincial towns. He seldom stayed long in any place, however. In the autumn of 1893, he took on a position as choirmaster and second conductor of the Leipzig
Opera. After moving to a position in Bremen
, he returned to Vienna
.
It was in Vienna on 6 February 1895, that Otto shot himself with a revolver while in the house of his and Mahler's friend Nina Hoffmann-Matscheko. His motivation remains unknown, though the 'Illustrierte Wiener Extrablatt' speculated about a 'matter of the heart'. According to Gustav's widow Alma, Otto's suicide-note stated that life no longer pleased him, so he 'handed back his ticket'.
Otto Mahler's music remains unpublished and is apparently uncatalogued. No recent performances are known; indeed, the very survival of the scores is currently uncertain.
At the time of his death, Otto was in possession of an autograph of the first three movements of Anton Bruckner
's Third Symphony
; this, along with certain of his other effects, passed into the hands of his brother Gustav (apparently in a locked trunk that Gustav never opened), and thence to the collection of his widow Alma.
, Otto Mahler left two symphonies, parts of which had been played and "ridiculed" by the public, and an almost-complete Third Symphony, in addition to some lieder with orchestra and piano.
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n-Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who committed suicide at the age of twenty-one.
The twelfth child of Bernard and Marie Mahler, Otto was born in Jihlava
Jihlava
Jihlava is a city in the Czech Republic. Jihlava is a centre of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava river on the ancient frontier between Moravia and Bohemia, and is the oldest mining town in the Czech Republic, ca. 50 years older than Kutná Hora.Among the principal buildings are the...
and resembled his elder brother Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
in displaying a special talent for music at an early age.
Gustav Mahler was already Director of the Royal Opera in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
when Otto Mahler entered the Vienna Conservatory in 1888 at the age of 15. Natalie Bauer-Lechner
Natalie Bauer-Lechner
Natalie Bauer-Lechner was a viola-player who is best known to musicology for having been a close and devoted friend of Gustav Mahler in the period between the break-up of her marriage in 1890 and the start of his to Alma Schindler in 1902...
's memoirs describe Otto as having been "liberated from his father's business" by Gustav -- who became head of the family, and financially responsible for Otto, upon the deaths of Bernard and Marie in 1889.
Commentary on Otto's life tends to assert that he was a talented student. He appears to have been less diligent than his brother had been, however. After a few successful terms studying harmony and counterpoint with Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length...
and piano with Ernst Ludwig, his marks declined, and the annual report for his first year shows that for some reason he took no final examination in composition. From that point on his academic performance was increasingly poor, and in April 1892, Otto Mahler left the Conservatory without a diploma.
With the help of his brother, Otto was able to find minor musical posts in provincial towns. He seldom stayed long in any place, however. In the autumn of 1893, he took on a position as choirmaster and second conductor of the Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
Opera. After moving to a position in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, he returned to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
It was in Vienna on 6 February 1895, that Otto shot himself with a revolver while in the house of his and Mahler's friend Nina Hoffmann-Matscheko. His motivation remains unknown, though the 'Illustrierte Wiener Extrablatt' speculated about a 'matter of the heart'. According to Gustav's widow Alma, Otto's suicide-note stated that life no longer pleased him, so he 'handed back his ticket'.
Otto Mahler's music remains unpublished and is apparently uncatalogued. No recent performances are known; indeed, the very survival of the scores is currently uncertain.
At the time of his death, Otto was in possession of an autograph of the first three movements of Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length...
's Third Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (Bruckner)
Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 in D minor was dedicated to Richard Wagner and is sometimes known as his "Wagner Symphony". It was written in 1873, revised in 1877 and again in 1891....
; this, along with certain of his other effects, passed into the hands of his brother Gustav (apparently in a locked trunk that Gustav never opened), and thence to the collection of his widow Alma.
Works
According to Bruno WalterBruno Walter
Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...
, Otto Mahler left two symphonies, parts of which had been played and "ridiculed" by the public, and an almost-complete Third Symphony, in addition to some lieder with orchestra and piano.
Quotations
"I also had a brother who was like me a musician and a composer. A man of great talent, far more gifted than I. He died very young ... alas ... alas! He killed himself in the prime of life". [Gustav Mahler in conversation with J. B. FoersterJosef Bohuslav FoersterJosef Bohuslav Foerster was a Czech composer of classical music. He is often referred to as J. B. Foerster. The surname is sometimes spelled Förster.- Life :...
]