- Das Klagende Lied (The Song of Lament) is a three-movement cantata for orchestra, choir, and soloists based on several German fairytales, including “Der singende Knochen” (The Singing Bone) by the Brothers Grimm.1 Mahler wrote the libretto himself.
- Waldmärchen (Forest Legend)
- Der Spielmann (The Minstrel)
- Hochzeitsstück (Wedding Piece)
- Mahler wrote the first version of the piece between 1878-80, making Das Klagende Lied his first major work. Over the next two decades, Mahler made significant revisions to the cantata. The first performance didn’t take place until 1901.
- Furthermore, in the first publication of the cantata, Mahler chose to omit the first movement (Waldmärchen) and only include the latter two. The three-movement structure was restored in 1969 and was not published until 1999.2
Sources
- Steven Lacoste, “Das klagende Lied (“The Plaintive Song”),” LA Phil, accessed May 13, 2026, https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/1509/das-klagende-lied-the-plaintive-song.
- “Das Klagende Lied, GMW 1 (Mahler, Gustav),” IMSLP, accessed May 13, 2026, https://imslp.org/wiki/Das_Klagende_Lied,_GMW_1_(Mahler,_Gustav).
Cut IDs
28352 11890 11891 11892