His symphonies are now a fundamental part of the classical concert repertoire, marking the departure from the 19th-century’s rich symphonic tradition to modernism.

Despite Mahler's efforts, a collaboration with Breitkopf & Härtel did not come about during his lifetime. On the occasion of its 300th anniversary in 2019, the publishing house began publishing editions of all of Gustav Mahler's symphonies.

Gustav Mahler was born on 7 July 1860 in Kalischt (Bohemia), today Kaliště in the Czech Republic. After early music lessons, the 15-year-old Gustav began instruction at the Vienna Conservatory, studying piano, composition, and harmony. From 1877 he studied with Anton Bruckner, among others, at the University of Vienna. Mahler's first attempts at composing initially remained fruitless, though his career as an opera conductor was more successful. Within ten years he had held several positions, including those as kapellmeister in Olomouc and Ljubljana, as choral director at the Royal Theater in Kassel, as opera conductor at the German State Theater in Prague and at the Leipzig City Theater, as well as opera director in Budapest, before becoming first kapellmeister at the Hamburg City Theater in 1891. In Hamburg he was able to organize his life for continuous composition, writing there his 2nd symphony and to a large extent his 3rd Symphony, as well as creating a new version of his 1st symphony.

In 1897 Mahler was appointed to the prominent post of kapellmeister, later director of the Vienna Court Opera, today's Vienna State Opera, which he brought to an unprecedented artistic level. Meanwhile, his public image was gradually changing, and he succeeded in establishing himself more and more as a composer.

As early as 1885, an anti-Semitic campaign was launched against Mahler, whereupon in 1897 he converted from Judaism to Catholicism, though in following years he continued to be subject to anti-Semitic hostility. Other deeply decisive events in life were the death of his daughter Maria Anna and the diagnosis of his heart disease.

In 1902 Mahler married Alma Maria Schindler. In 1907 he resigned from his position as director of the Vienna Court Opera and left Europe for New York, first as director of the Metropolitan Opera, then in 1909 as music director of the New York Philharmonic Society.

As early as 1911, the now seriously ill composer returned to Europe, dying in Vienna on 18 May 1911.

Mahler left behind numerous works, including ten symphonies (the 10th Symphony is unfinished), Das Lied von der Erde (symphony for tenor, alto [or baritone] and orchestra), lieder with orchestra (including 4 Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, [Songs of a Wayfarer] Lieder from Des Knaben Wunderhorn,[The Young Lad’s Magic Horn], Kindertotenlieder [Songs on the Death of Children], the choral work Das klagende Lied [The Song of Lament] and lieder with piano.