Description
Mahler’s Wunderhorn symphonies offer multiple exemplars of humour-fueled creativity. Their score markings, such as mit Humor, and Mahler’s comments about humour in them to Bruno Walter and Natalie Bauer-Lechner create a strong foundation for extrapolating insights about his expressive resources. Although other writings explore the humorous dimensions of stylistic quotation, sudden juxtapositions, and irreverent mixing of the sacred and profane (e.g. Johnson 2009, Batstone 2020), opportunities remain to venture deeper into the role of orchestration in Mahler’s humour. Beyond novel timbres, what humorous worlds did Mahler craft with orchestral blends and combinations? How do they play with music cognition to craft surprise? Stephen McAdams and colleagues’ Taxonomy of Orchestral Grouping Effects (TOGE) (McAdams et al, 2022) offers a rich, perceptual lens for exploring such questions.My presentation uses the perceptual groupings in TOGE to analyze orchestration in three humorous juxtapositions: 1) The Second Symphony’s Fischpredigt vs brass chorale, 2) the abrupt contrasts in “Das himmlische Leben” within Mahler’s Fourth, and 3) the Scherzo of the Third’s “Panic humour” (Johnson 2009, 125) vs the noble posthorn solo. In different ways, Mahler contrasts timbral heterogeneity with blending, influencing the perception of melodic contours, phrases, and themes (Goodchild and McAdams 2021). Using OrchView software, I explicate different perceptual groupings that enliven Mahler’s humour. Closely examining meaningful juxtapositions in Mahler’s orchestration through the TOGE framework provides cognitive insights into Mahler’s creativity and individual style.
| Period | 18 Jul 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Mahler and Humour |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Toblach/Dobbiaco, ItalyShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |