Mahler sought to express his feelings in music: with the help of a friend, Josef Steiner, he began work on an opera, Herzog Ernst von Schwaben ("Duke Ernest of Swabia") as a memorial to his lost brother.
Mahler tratou de expresar os seus sentimentos coa música: coa axuda dun amigo, Josef Steiner, comezou a traballar nunha ópera, Herzog Ernst von Schwaben ("O duque Ernest de Suabia") en homenaxe ao seu defunto irmán.