Ella Fitzgerald vs Gustav Mahler
Two music prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Ella Fitzgerald | Gustav Mahler | |
| Field | Music | Music |
| Sub-field | Composer | Composer |
| Born | 1917 | 1860 |
| Died | 1996 | 1911 |
| Country of birth | United States | Austria |
| Star sign | Taurus | Cancer |
Who they are
Ella Fitzgerald
On the night of November 21, 1934, a seventeen-year-old girl walked onto the stage of the Apollo Theater in Harlem for Amateur Night and froze. She had entered intending to dance — she was a known dancer among her friends in Yonkers — but when she looked out at the audience, something failed. She stood there, in a dress borrowed from a friend, in shoes that didn't fit, before an audience that was already restless. Then she opened her mouth and sang. The audience went quiet. She won first place. The bandleader Chick Webb heard…
Full biography of Ella Fitzgerald →
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler described the symphony as a world that must contain everything. He was not speaking metaphorically. His nine completed symphonies range in duration from forty-five minutes to nearly two hours, deploy orchestras of up to one hundred and forty players, incorporate vocal soloists, choirs, offstage bands, and in the case of the Eighth Symphony — known as the Symphony of a Thousand — require a performing force so large that the piece can barely be staged. This was not grandiosity for its own sake. It was Mahler's attempt to make music coextensive with human…
Full biography of Gustav Mahler →
What they share
- Both are held here under Music.
- Same sub-field: Composer.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: United States and Austria.
- 57 years separate their births (1917 and 1860).
- Their lifetimes never overlapped.
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Ella Fitzgerald or Gustav Mahler?
- Gustav Mahler. Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917, Gustav Mahler in 1860.
- What field is each of them in?
- Ella Fitzgerald is filed under Music (Composer). Gustav Mahler is filed under Music (Composer).
- Were they contemporaries?
- No - their lifetimes do not overlap.