This article examines Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and its role in what the composer called his ‘perfectly self-contained tetralogy’. Previous explanations for this phrase include the first four symphonies’ shared song quotations and ideological content, but the dramas of ancient Dionysian festivals present a better model: three serious tragedies and a comic satyr play, a performance grouping also known as a ‘tetralogy’. Following Mahler’s first three symphonies (his ‘Trilogie der Leidenschaft’), the Fourth Symphony – originally entitled ‘Humoreske’ – is compared to a light-hearted satyr play, featuring abrupt juxtapositions of moods and a setting of the humorous song ‘Das himmlische Leben’. Praise for the redemptive effects of this ancient tragicomic juxtaposition plays an important role in Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy, and the importance of humour especially shaped the philosopher’s later writings, many of which Mahler knew from his time as a student in Vienna. This new reading not only provides a better explanation for Mahler’s comment, but also illustrates Nietzsche’s influence on the composer’s sense of drama.

中文翻译：

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“完全独立的四部曲”：马勒的悲喜剧灵感

本文探讨了马勒的《第四交响曲》及其在作曲家所说的“完全独立的四部曲”中的作用。以前对这句话的解释包括前四部交响曲的共同歌曲引用和思想内容，但古代酒神节的戏剧呈现了一个更好的模式：三部严肃的悲剧和一部喜剧色狼剧，表演组合也被称为“四部曲”。继马勒的前三部交响曲（他的“Trilogie der Leidenschaft”）之后，第四交响曲——最初名为“Humoreske”——被比作轻松的萨特戏剧，其特点是情绪的突然并置和幽默歌曲“Das himmlische Leben”的背景'。对这种古老悲喜剧并置的救赎效果的赞美在尼采的著作中起着重要作用悲剧的诞生，幽默的重要性尤其塑造了这位哲学家后来的著作，其中许多是马勒在维也纳读书时就知道的。这种新的解读不仅为马勒的评论提供了更好的解释，也说明了尼采对作曲家戏剧感的影响。