MG Gustav Mahler

Mahler’s years in Jihlava

Most probably Gustav received his elementary education at the main school on what is today Fibichova Street. We know almost nothing about this part of Mahler’s life, since no documents, not even class registers, have been preserved. In the autumn of 1869 Mahler entered the German gymnasium at Hluboká Street No. 1 (then Im Jesuitengarten, since 1878 Tiefegasse), whose building, which dates back to 1727, with a later annex of the mid-19^th century, still exists (as the Town Library). In his very first semester young Mahler drew the attention of the school management and Jihlava’s public to himself by honestly returning a wallet with a large amount of money that he found; word of the case spread to the public through the town crier after he had drummed up people across the town. In the first years of Gustav’s studies his results weren’t bad. At the end of the first year he placed 22^nd among the 49 pupils, and one year later he placed sixteenth out of forty. By then he had already made his first public appearance (October 13, 1870, in the Town Theatre) and his father Bernhard, dazzled by his son’s musical success, wanted to ensure an even better education for him than was possible in Jihlava, and arranged his transfer to a gymnasium in Prague’s New Town. Gustav lived in the Old Town with the family of professor Grünfeld, who at the same time taught him music. However, young Mahler, torn out of his environment, failed in six subjects out of a total of seven at the much more demanding school, and he was hopelessly last in the class. Therefore his father took him back to Jihlava, where he continued his studies at the local gymnasium, this time with better results.

Gustav’s father agreed, on the condition that Gustav would complete his studies at the gymnasium and take the final exam there. Thus Gustav studied at the Jihlava gymnasium for another two years as a private student. He returned to Jihlava to take the exams for the last semester, and also for vacations. In the summer months he made appearances at successful concerts.

In view of his coming graduation examination, on September 12, 1876, he organized a concert in the great hall of the Czap Hotel as a benefit for the gymnasium – for purchasing teaching aids. That is to say that his study results showed a continuous downward trend, and he finished the last semester with four failing grades. He withdrew from the graduation examination on the regular date, July 6, 1877, and he returned to face the examination committee on September 12. The committee showed him mercy and “let him pass.”

The period he spent at the gymnasium was also important in Mahler’s life, as he formed lifelong friendships with several classmates while he was there. Besides the above-mentioned Josef Steiner, he became friends with Quido Adler, a native of Ivančice in Moravia who later was a professor with the department of music science at the Vienna School of Philosophy and a music critic, or with Emil Freund, who was in charge of Mahler’s legal affairs. Another lifelong friend was his music teacher, Heinrich Fischer’s son, Theodor, also a classmate from the Jihlava gymnasium.

In October 1877 Gustav Mahler entered the Vienna School of Philosophy and for two years he studied philosophy, history, and music history there. In June 1878 he finished at the conservatory with great success, and in May 1880 he entered his first engagement as the conductor of a summer theatre orchestra in the spa town of Bad Hall, in Upper Austria.