The compositional evolution of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony, its formal design and tonal strategies

This dissertation examines and analyses the evolution of Mahler's Tenth Symphony. By establishing and comparing different stages of composition, harmonic and structural implications of each phase are brought to light. Mahler's Tenth Symphony has attracted the attention of many scholars, in part due to its incomplete status. Some of the ways this study refines and expands our understanding of the symphony include the evaluation of a page from the sketchbook for Mahler's Ninth Symphony, which anticipates elements of the Adagio and two scherzi. Material that had been discarded from early drafts for the Adagio is also taken into consideration and reveals passages that display a level of post-tonal experimentation greater than what is evident in the orchestral score. For both scherzi, an annotated concordance of manuscript pages shows a complexity of formal and tonal evolution than has until now not fully been addressed. A reexamination of the E minor Scherzo reveals more self-quotations from Das Lied von der Erde than earlier detected. While the Purgatorio and Finale source materials reflect relative stability, close analysis yields nuanced readings of the symphony's movements most closely connected to the escalating personal crisis Mahler experienced in the summer of 1910