About this edition
Composed between 1908 and 1909 in the shadow of personal tragedy and a grave medical diagnosis, Das Lied von der Erde stands as one of Mahler's most profound achievements — a symphony in all but name, scored for tenor, alto (or baritone) soloists, and large orchestra, setting six Chinese poems in Hans Bethge's German paraphrases. From the bitter irony of "Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde" to the transcendent farewell of "Der Abschied," the work fuses the scale of the late-Romantic symphony with an intimacy and harmonic daring that looks unmistakably toward the twentieth century.
This edition reproduces the first published full score, issued in 1911 by Universal Edition in Vienna under plate number U.E. 3391, prepared by the composer, editor, and Mahler specialist Josef Venantius von Wöss (1863–1943). Wöss worked closely with Universal Edition on the posthumous publication of Mahler's final works — the composer died in May 1911, before hearing Das Lied performed — and his careful editorial labor on this first edition has long been regarded as a foundational source for performers and scholars. It is the text from which the world premiere under Bruno Walter in Munich later that year was prepared.
About this edition:
- Full orchestral score, reproduced from the 1911 Universal Edition (plate U.E. 3391)
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches
- Reproduced from a public domain historical source
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing
We're pleased to make this landmark edition available once more in a clean, affordable printing. Because the original is in the public domain, this great work of the symphonic literature can again find its way onto the desks of conductors, singers, orchestral players, students, and anyone who loves Mahler's extraordinary final utterances.
