Discrepancies in the Second and Fifth Symphonies

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I am writing to you to point out certain places in Mahler's scores that raise questions, and I sincerely feel that some errors might have taken place in the original publications, which apparently have been perpetuated over the years. I call your attention to the following:
Ich möchte auf einige fragliche Stellen hinweisen, bei denen möglicherweise Druckfehler stehen, die vielleicht über Jahre hinaus nicht korrigiert wurden:

Second Symphony, second movement:
Measure 122, third eighth note in cello and bass parts, apparent omission of flat before the F.
The flat appears in this situation at both of the other analogous passages, so surely the omission
must stand as an oversight?
Zweite Symphonie, zweiter Satz:
Takt 122, Celli und Bässe, dritte Achtelnote, es fehlt das B-Zeichen vor dem F.
In den beiden analogen Passagen ist dieses B-Zeichen vorhanden, liegt hier nicht ein Druckfehler vor?

Fifth Symphony, last movement (Rondo Finale):
Measure 399, first violin part, should be a B rather than a C Sharp. What is printed here seems
so obviously in error, as all the analogous passages bear out. What I refer to is often corrected in performance.
Fünfte Symphonie, letzter Satz (Rondo finale):
Takt 399, erste Violine, sollte H und nicht Cis sein. Es scheint ein offensichtlicher Fehler zu sein, der mit den analogen Stellen nicht übereinstimmt. Es wird auch in Aufführungen oft korrigiert.

Measures 707-710 (same movement), owing to the setting up of the harmony in the immediately preceding measures to be a first inversion of an F Major chord by the trumpets, which sustain the written C in those preceding measures, it would seem that in the measures I specify above, the second, fourth, and sixth horn parts should similarly indicate C in their part rather than B. If the trumpets were to sustain their note through these measures in question, that would appear to settle the matter in such an event.
Takte 707-710 (letzter Satz): da die Trompeten unmittelbar vorher einen F-Dur-Akkord mit ausgehaltenem C spielen, sollten die 2., 4. und 6. Hörner auch nicht H sondern C spielen.

Z.P.

[FrankF]

When a musical phrase is repeated, note for note, but one note (or chord, or note value) is different, an editor must consider the two possibilities: that the composer or publisher has made an error, and all occurrences of this passage were intended to be identical; or else that the composer has consciously decided to vary the passage.  Mahler himself stated that music is like life itself, constantly changing, and that this is why he so often varied the melodic line, the harmony or the orchestration of recurring passages.

I have received answers from our editors about the passages to which you refer in your recent letter. They have both assured me that these are not discrepancies which have slipped by their watchful editorial eyes, but rather passages in which Mahler decided to vary the melodic line from one occurrence to another.  Sometimes such decisions are close calls, but in these cases all of the sources agree with the version printed in the Complete Critical Edition of Mahler's works.  And there are many, many available sources which are consulted in the process, including scores and parts which were used (and annotated) by Mahler himself for performances of the works.

In the editing of the Mahler symphonies there are surely very difficult decisions arising from Mahler's careless handwriting, from his frequent revisions to his own scores, and from the fact that a misprint and a stroke of genius may be equally plausible in some instances. In your example of measure 399, last movement of the Fifth Symphony, the note in Mahler's manuscript is clearly a C-sharp and not a B.