Mahler Section B - New and improved version

This piece is Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen from Symphony No. 1 in D Major "Titan" by G Mahler. This piece is from the late romantic period. The opening melody is "Frere Jacques", the French nursery rhyme, but this melody has been changed into a minor key.

The piece begins with timpani drums playing a steady pulse (4/4 time signature) of crotchet durations on the tonic and dominant which introduces the minor key. This opening lasts for two bars (until 0:08), where we have the introduction of a double bass which plays the minor version of 'Frere Jacques'. This melody lasts for six bars (until 0:32) where a bassoon enters in direct imitation, creating a canon. The trumpet is joined by a tuba at 0:53, which is directly imitating the original minor melody, creating a three-part canon. This lasts for four bars before the entrance of the oboe at 1:08. This melody is more lively than the canon beneath it. This is caused by the shorter rhythmic durations, which creates a counter melody.


This extract clearly has two sections. Section A is the Frere Jacques theme, and section B section which begins at 2:20. Section B begins with a melody played by the oboes which lasts for the rest of the extract. This section contrasts with section A, because it is syncopated. 


The texture of this extract is polyphonic, due to the canon in section A which is accompanied by the timpani until 1:08 in the extract when we have the introduction of the oboe.