The observation that Mahler's music reflects modernity is anything but new. Yet the discussion often follows a black-and-white scheme; either Mahler is regarded as a radical critic of modern society hostile to any positive musical expression or on the contrary, as a composer whose music shows the way from the dark to the light (per aspera ad astra). The article tries to ask an old question in a new direction. In light of this, in the first section the conditions are analysed, which led Mahler to focus on the problems of modernity. To give the analysis more consistency and validity, Mahler's biographical background and his habits are compared with that of the sociologist and contemporary Georg Simmel. In his social and philosophical theories, Simmel is concerned with the same problems as Mahler in his compositions, especially with the relationship between the individual and the world. There are noticeable parallels in life and thoughts between the composer and the sociologist. Furthermore, the romantic cliches that Mahler used to articulate his view of the purposes of art are explained. These clich s had been developed at the beginning of the 19th century, but under the conditions of a fully industrialised society they had clearly changed their meaning. As a result it would be impossible to understand Mahler's thoughts about music without understanding these changes. The second part of the article contains a musical analysis of the Scherzo of Mahler's Fifth Symphony. Here it excellently deals with the musical realisation of Mahler's reflection on modern society. Two points emphasise this context. Firstly, there are structural elements within the discussed piece of music that indicate specific relationships between its positive and negative parts. These are of particular importance in understanding the composition. Secondly, in his music Mahler puzzles over different solutions of the tension between the individual and the world without trusting any of them. It is also evident from the analysis that he would like to prefer a more positive musical message, if it were at all possible. Finally it details that Mahler's musical attempts to handle the problems.of modern society are not too distinct from that of Simmel's sociological considerations. However, in contrast to sociological analysis music cannot deliver any argumentation, it can only show possible structures of subjects, like societal problems and different attitudes towards them.
