Marching to Salvation

In the City of Music

Parade Ground
Military signals, fanfares, and marches in Mahler’s music express a full gamut of emotion, from triumph to tragedy.
“The military band was the passion of my childhood.”
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  • Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, dubbed “Symphony of a Thousand” because of its massive performing forces (orchestra, chorus, soloists, and children’s chorus), features a collection of “impetuous” marches in the first part, which is based on the hymn Veni creator spiritus.

  • The development of these marches borders on parody.