Curse of the ninth

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Template:Short description The curse of the ninth is a superstition connected with the history of classical music. It is the belief that a ninth symphony is destined to be a composer's last, and that the composer will be fated to die while composing it, after composing it, or before completing a tenth.

History

The curse of the ninth superstition originated in the late-Romantic period of classical music.<ref name=":0" /> According to Arnold Schoenberg, the superstition began with Gustav Mahler, who, after writing his Eighth Symphony, wrote Das Lied von der Erde, which, while structurally a symphony, was able to be disguised as a song cycle, each movement being a setting of a poem for soloist and orchestra.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Then he wrote his Ninth Symphony and thought he had beaten the curse, but died with his Tenth Symphony incomplete.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Ethan Mordden, A Guide to Orchestral Music: The Handbook for Non-Musicians. New York: Oxford University Press (1980): 312. Template:ISBN. "Though it is more a song-cycle than a symphony, this was to have been Mahler's Ninth Symphony—but superstition cautioned him. Beethoven and Schubert both died after completing their respective Ninths, and Bruckner died with his Ninth unfinished. ... He thought he saw a way out: give his Ninth Symphony a name—no number—thus leaping the verge unscathed. He could then go on to a 'tenth' (really his Tenth). But fate laughed at Mahler, and he, like his predecessors, died before he could complete a Tenth Symphony."</ref>

This superstition, however, was only hatched by Mahler. Before him, Beethoven and Schubert had died before or while writing their tenth symphonies.<ref name=":0" /> Upon realizing this, Mahler created the curse of the ninth and led this superstition into popularity by seemingly proving it true. This superstition has, however, lost popularity, and while it is spoken about, any possible "proof" of it has not happened recently as it did in the era of Beethoven and Mahler.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> As Maddy Shaw Roberts writes, "The Curse of the Nine is a great story, and it probably fueled a lot of the angst behind Mahler's heart-wrenching symphonies. But perhaps it's best to treat it as a superstition."<ref name=":0" />

After Beethoven, Schubert, and Mahler, some composers cited as examples of the curse include:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In contrast, there are numerous composers who completed ten or more symphonies.

In 2012, composer Philip Glass stated, "Everyone is afraid to do a ninth. It is a jinx that people think about".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The curse of the ninth symphony was addressed in the sixth episode of the 19th season of the British crime series Midsomer Murders in 2018<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in the fifth episode of the ninth series of the British anthology series Inside No. 9, "Curse of the Ninth" (2024).<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

See also

References

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Further reading

  • Cooke, Deryck. Gustav Mahler: An Introduction to His Music. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
  • Lebrecht, Norman. Mahler Remembered. New York: W.W. Norton, 1987.
  • Mahler-Werfel, Alma. The Diaries, translated by Antony Beaumont. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2000.
  • Dan Stehman, Roy Harris: An American Musical Pioneer. Boston: Twayne Publishers (1984): 163–169

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