Today, more than ever, Gustav Mahler is highly acclaimed as a 'pioneer of new music'. Unlike any other composer in the late 19th century, he meteorically became the focus of attention of the musical public. Mahler's music is an adventure, as beautiful and frightening, as peaceful and unpredictable as the world of which it is about. During his lifetime, Gustav Mahler was known rather as a powerful court opera director and less as a composer, for he could compose his own works only during the summer months. But as such, Mahler had to compete with his fellow composers Anton Bruckner and Richard Strauss. In his newly edited book, Karl-Josef Müller tries to examine this discrepancy between Mahler's high ethical demands as a composer and his qualification by his environment.

Karl-Josef Müller (1937-2001) studierte in Mainz Schulmusik, Musikwissenschaft und Musikpsychologie. Parallel dazu widmete er sich kompositorischen und analytischen Studien bei Fussan und Mauricio Kagel. Nach seiner Promotion unterrichtete er in Berlin und Frankfurt am Main und veröffentlichte zahlreiche Beiträge und Schriften über die Musik des 20. Jahrhunderts. Als Komponist wurde Karl-Josef Müller vor allen Dingen durch seine Chor- und Instrumentalwerke bekannt.

Vorwort - Zeittafel - Biographie - Jugend und Lehrjahre (1860-1881) - Wanderjahre (1881-1888) - Budapest (1888-1891) - Hamburg (1891-1897) - Wien (1897-1907) - Amerika (1908-1911) - Dokumente: Alma Mahler - Bruno Walter - Natalie Bauer-Lechner - Berta Zuckerkandl - Alfred Roller - Anna Bahr-Mildenburg - Erinnerungen an Gustav Mahler - Verzeichnis der Abkürzungen - Chronologisches Werkverzeichnis - Literaturverzeichnis (Auswahl) - Register