Gustav Mahler

Blumine

Between late 1887 and March 1888 Gustav Mahler composed his 'Symphony No. 1'. In the first version of the symphony there were 5 movements but when the premiere was not well received, Mahler made some revisions for the following performances prior to the first publication, in late 1898. The most drastic change involved the removal of the second movement 'Blumine'. 'Blumine' ('floral', or 'flower'), originates from some incidental music Mahler wrote for Joseph Victor von Scheffel's dramatic poem 'Der Trompeter von Säckingen'. The trumpet serenade was used for 'Blumine' with little changes. 'Blumine' is a short lyrical piece with a gentle trumpet solo, similar to the posthorn solo in Mahler's 3rd Symphony. Since its discovery and publication, 'Blumine' has been performed in many different concert formats by conductors mostly as a stand alone work isolated from the symphony. Dutch arranger Guus Dohmen transcribed the 'Blumine' for a Symphonic Band.