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This calligraphically
exquisite manuscript is bound
in grey reversed calf; the title, stamped on a lozenge-shaped
inset of black, gold-tooled leather on the
front cover, is Symphonie in C-moll / von /
Gustav Mahler / [ornamental separator]
/ Hermann Behn.
The sheets have been trimmed during binding. It contains instructions to the engraver
and apparently served as the printer's copy: the pencil casting-off
corresponds to that of the first edition, and the blue pencil
annotation of the title page is probably a Röder reference
number. Rehearsal numbers were added by Behn in red pencil (these correspond to those in
the printed edition of the arrangement,
but not to those in the published full score). Behn had decided to attempt a
two-piano transcription after the run-through of the first three
movements in Hamburg in early January 1895, as recounted by J.B. Foerster (JBFDP,
407):
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Doktor Behn, ein ausgezeichneter Musiker und
Pianist, versprach, eine Einrichtung der Partitur zu vier Händen
für zwei Klaviere versuchen zu wollen, „damit wir nicht
jahrelang auf eine Wiederaufführung warten müssen.” Auch bei
dieser Klavierpremiere in Behns Villa an der Alster war ich
zugegen. An den Klavieren nahmen der Komponist und der Gastgeber
Platz. Unter den Gästen erschien auch Bülows greise Freundin and
warme Verehrerin Frau Lazarus. Sie versicherte uns beim Abschied,
sie scheide als nicht weniger glühende Vereherin Gustav Mahlers. |
Dr Behn, an outstanding musician and
pianist, declared he wished to attempt an
arrangement of the score for two pianos, four hands,
'because we must not wait a year for a repeat
performance'. I was also present at this piano
première at Behn's villa on the Alster. The composer
and the host took their places at the piano. Von
Bülow's aged friend and ardent supporter, Frau
Lazarus, was among the guests. Making her farewell
she assured us that she left as no less enthusiastic
an admirer of Gustav Mahler. |
Behn must have been
working from
AF2
for the last two movements (and seems to have annotated the
score of the finale while doing so), but for the first three
movements used
ACF1 and
AO (which he also annotated); in the later stages (perhaps while the arrangement was at
proof stage) he must also have consulted
ACF2
(not least to gain access to the final version of the opening of
the scherzo. The
significance of the date at the end of the manuscript is more
problematic than it might at first appear. By early
September Mahler could report to Arnold Berliner that he
considered it very good, and that it would be published soon (GMB,
136–7;
GMSL, 165–6). This implies that at least one
manuscript had been prepared and seen by Mahler by that date; if
he played through the arrangement with Behn before agreeing to
its publication (which seems a distinct possibility) another
copy would have been required (as it would for the private
performance attended by Foerster, if that was a separate event
and occurred before publication). If so, the date at the end of
the Kaplan copy suggests it was perhaps not what Mahler saw in
late August/early September 1895: the reason why another
manuscript might have been prepared in October/November when,
presumably, the engraving was already under way, is unclear.
In
NKGII.2 (p. 129 note 6) Renate Stark-Voit suggests that this
problem would be resolved if the month in Mahler's date on his
letter to Behn was not September but November (i.e. the first 9
stands for '9-bris', 'a not unusual abbreviation in those
days'). One might add that this re-dating would also make
sense of Mahler's comment in the letter that 'this is my first
day without an evening engagement': on 12 September he conducted
Siegfried, but he was not on the podium on 12 November
(see
BSGMOH, passim). However, Mahler was rather unreliable over
dates, and, more importantly his comments later in the letter
that 'nothing has yet been decided about the participation of
the chorus on December 13' and that Ochs, the conductor of the
Berlin Philharmonic Choir was prevaricating, provides a
terminus ante quem for the date of the letter: by mid
October 1895 Friedrich Gernsheim had indicated that the
Stern'sche Singverein (of which he was the conductor) would be
happy to participate in the première, and Mahler was in contact
with him to make arrangements (GMB2a,
154–6;
GMSL,
167–69).
For an account of the
arrangement's publishing history, see also the notes on the
first edition. |
