mahler became very interested in german folksong and he composed several sets of orchestral songs. he took poems from the collection called "des knaben wunderhorn" ("the boy’s magic horn"). these songs were originally medieval, but mahler made them feel very different by interpreting them through his own personality. the language of his songs is heard in his symphonies, four of which use singing (nos 2, 3, 4 and 8). he wrote nine symphonies and started a tenth, but died before it was finished.