Okay, I started this business of Mahler's unusual way of walking.
It seems only fair that I report back some of the things I've learned. Here are comments from some of the people who actually observed Mahler walking:
Otto Klemperer:
"This strange man was walking jerkily, hat in hand, and appeared to have a club foot."
Ernst Decsey:
"He swung his hat in his right hand and stamped his left foot as though he wanted to tell the earth to obey him."
William Ritter:
"legs twitching nervously, and so small, so short" "From time to time he absentmindedly tramples the ground with his feet and jerks with an arm."
Roller:
very muscular, short by South German standards, to Roller Mahler was like a ''racehorse in top form.''
Hermann Reinshagen, NYPO double-bass player:
"He tended to drag one of his legs, prompting the players to say that he walked in 5/4 time."
Samuel Chotzinoff, pianist/critic:
''Mahler was superstitious, like me. He would suddenly pause without warning, swing his right foot behind him, and with the toe touch the heel of his left foot.''
Mary Powell, American violinist:
"I found he had what might be called an impediment in one of his ankles. Like someone [afflicted] with a hesitancy in speech, so was his ankle impeded, tapping the ground as if searching for the right spot. He controlled it almost immediately and on he went again as thought nothing had happened. It always appeared to be worse when he was tired."
So, we can see how subjective the interpretations were of Mahler's unique gait. In the larger picture, it matters little how he walked. I was simply curious, always wanting to know more about that remarkable man, Gustav Mahler.
BTW: I located all of these quotes in La Grange, volumes 3 and 4.
John H
