The Marshall University School of Music and Theatre’s music lecture series, MUsic Mondays, continues with the third lecture in the fall series at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, at the Cellar Door, 905 3rd Ave.
The lecture, “Mahler and the Music of an Inner Necessity,” focuses on the symphonies of Austrian composer Gustav Mahler and the secret meaning behind them. Lead presenter Dr. Vicki Stroeher, professor of music history at Marshall, said Mahler, who conducted operas at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, tried to capture the weariness of the world in his symphonies.
“Mahler wore his emotions on his sleeve, and they are without a doubt on display in his music,” Stroeher said. “In 1910 his marriage to Alma Schindler began to have difficulties, so Mahler turned to Sigmund Freud’s famous couch. Freud linked certain elements in Mahler’s music to childhood experiences. So, you might say that Mahler’s music was an embodiment of Freud’s theories on the unconscious.”
The fall series, titled “The Path to the New Music,” has been investigating the influence of philosophical thought, art and literature, and scientific theory on music from the 19th and early 20th centuries. It will continue at the same time and place on Dec. 14, with a lecture about Arnold Schoenberg’s one-act opera, “Anticipation,” based on an actual psychological case study.
Each lecture costs $10 at the door. Checks should be made payable to Marshall University. All proceeds will go to support the music program. Seating is limited. Participants are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy conversation and refreshments.
For more information about MUsic Mondays, call the School of Music and Theatre at 304–696-3117.