Mahler is now known as one of the most popular composers of the early 20th century, but he actually had an extremely busy career as an international conductor. So how did he get any composing done? 

Fortunately, opera houses often work in seasons (a bit like schools and universities), so he would take the summer months off to retreat to his lakeside house in Austria.

Here is a photo of his composing hut on the Attersee:

According to his wife Alma's journals, Mahler's life there "was stripped of all dross, almost inhuman in its purity".

He woke at 6:00 or 6:30 A.M. and immediately rang for the cook to prepare his breakfast: freshly ground coffee, milk, diet bread, butter, and jam, which the cook carried to Mahler's composing hut. 

With his coffee (and warmed milk), Mahler would work until midday, and then go into the lake for a swim with his wife. 

After a light lunch, Gustav would take Alma on a 3-4 hour walk along the lake shore, occasionally stopping to jot down ideas in his notebook. These composing breaks would sometimes last for an hour or longer.

Extraordinary that with only a few months each summer, he was able to write so many seminal pieces of music. All this, I suppose, is partly thanks to his ability to leave the noise behind and focus on the few things that were truly important to him.

Here's the interior of his hut. Nothing but a piano and some beautiful views...

Have a great week - and see if you can cut out some of the noise, and spend some time on what's really important  :)

Best Wishes and enjoy the music

Oscar

P.S. I'm writing this from a tiny cottage in Cornwall - a great place to retreat and work on some bigger projects, as the internet here is dreadful!