What Austrian-Bohemian composer earned his living as a conductor and left his tenth symphony unfinished at death?

What Austrian-Bohemian composer earned his living as a conductor and left his tenth symphony unfinished at death?

• A. Dvorak
• B. Mahler
• C. Bruckner
• D. Smetana

Answer: (B)

Gustav Mahler fits because he is strongly identified as a conductor by profession and is famous for leaving a tenth symphony unfinished at his death. Born in Bohemia, then part of the Austrian Empire, he built a renowned conducting career (notably at the Vienna Court Opera and later in the United States) and did not rely on composing for his living. His final work remained incomplete when he died in 1911, with sketches that have inspired various completions. The other names are not characterized by these two specifics together, especially not as Austrian-Bohemian conductors who left a tenth symphony unfinished.

Gustav Mahler fits because he is strongly identified as a conductor by profession and is famous for leaving a tenth symphony unfinished at his death. Born in Bohemia, then part of the Austrian Empire, he built a renowned conducting career (notably at the Vienna Court Opera and later in the United States) and did not rely on composing for his living. His final work remained incomplete when he died in 1911, with sketches that have inspired various completions. The other names are not characterized by these two specifics together, especially not as Austrian-Bohemian conductors who left a tenth symphony unfinished.