Editing Gustav Mahler (section)

====Early responses, 1889–1911====
[[File:Mahlercartoon 1907.jpg|thumb|upright|alt= Caricature of Mahler surrounded by comical musical instruments, including a motor horn which he is operating by the use of his feet|A satirical comment on Mahler's [[Symphony No. 6 (Mahler)|Sixth Symphony]]. The caption translates: "My God, I've forgotten the motor horn! Now I shall have to write another symphony."]]

Mahler's friend Guido Adler calculated that at the time of the composer's death in 1911 there had been more than 260&nbsp;performances of the symphonies in Europe, Russia and America, the Fourth Symphony with 61&nbsp;performances given most frequently (Adler did not enumerate performances of the songs).<ref name=Carr221 /> In his lifetime, Mahler's works and their performances attracted wide interest, but rarely unqualified approval; for years after its 1889 premiere critics and public struggled to understand the First Symphony, described by one critic after an 1898 Dresden performance as "the dullest [symphonic] work the new epoch has produced".<ref>La Grange, Vol. 2, pp. 99, 140</ref> The Second Symphony was received more positively, one critic calling it "the most masterly work of its kind since Mendelssohn".<ref>La Grange, Vol. 2, pp. 141–142</ref> Such generous praise was rare, particularly after Mahler's accession to the Vienna Hofoper directorship. His many enemies in the city used the anti-Semitic and conservative press to denigrate almost every performance of a Mahler work;<ref>La Grange: Vol. 2, pp. 148–155, 307–309</ref> thus the Third Symphony, a success in Krefeld in 1902, was treated in Vienna with critical scorn: "Anyone who has committed such a deed deserves a couple of years in prison."<ref>La Grange Vol. 3, pp. 68–69</ref>

A mix of enthusiasm, consternation and critical contempt became the normal response to new Mahler symphonies, although the songs were better received.<ref>La Grange, Vol. 3, pp. 107–108</ref> After his Fourth and Fifth Symphonies failed to gain general public approval, Mahler was convinced that his Sixth would finally succeed.<ref>La Grange, Vol. 3, p. 405</ref> However, its reception was dominated by satirical comments on Mahler's unconventional percussion effects—the use of a wooden mallet, birch rods and a huge square bass drum.<ref>La Grange, Vol. 3, pp. 412–413</ref> Viennese critic [[Heinrich Reinhardt (composer)|Heinrich Reinhardt]] dismissed the symphony as "Brass, lots of brass, incredibly much brass! Even more brass, nothing but brass!"<ref>La Grange, Vol 3 p. 536</ref> The one unalloyed performance triumph within Mahler's lifetime was the premiere of the Eighth Symphony in Munich, on 12 September 1910, advertised by its promoters as the "Symphony of a Thousand".{{refn|The title "Symphony of a Thousand" was not acknowledged by Mahler. Jonathan Carr indicates that, at its Munich premiere, there were fewer than 1000 performers present.<ref name=Carr207 /> At the American premiere under Leopold Stokowski in 1916, however, there were 1,068 performers, including 950 choristers.<ref name=AS91 />|group=n}} At its conclusion, applause and celebrations reportedly lasted for half an hour.<ref name=Carr207 />