Mahler's Third Symphony and Musil's 'Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften': A Musical-Literary Parallel

Gustav Mahler's Third Symphony in D minor, created between 1892 and 1896, opens with a nearly 40-minute first movement characterized by a march-like motif that likely influenced Robert Musil's 1920s novel 'Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften.' This movement serves as a critique of military grandeur, highlighting its absurdity. Emerging from a sorrowful march, the Adagio's theme is introduced by eight horns, presenting a grotesquely insincere version of the march. The introduction, spanning 163 bars, reveals the march's trivial essence. Mahler describes a 'storm attack' as the march collapses into chaos and emptiness. The reprise reimagines the march in a joyful manner, momentarily interrupted by a D-flat major chord, concluding in jubilant yet hollow nothingness. The article connects the critiques of military violence in both works.