Mahler's First Symphony, for example, consists of
> brass parts that sound incredibly similar to parts of the folk song
> "You're a Grand Old Flag". In addition, many spots in the piece
> bear a striking resemblance to the end of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony.
> However, nobody would consider calling Mahler's First
> "plagiarism".

Um..hello.. "You're a grand old flag" was written by Cohen in 1906, while Mahler's first symphony was finished by 1888!!!:D Shostakovich's fifth symphony was finished by 1937!!!!!!>8D.It is true that Mahler was influenced by Beethoven , Bach, Wagner and Bruckner(to name a few!).But the comparisons are wrong, I'm afraid!!! True, Mahler and Cohen could have worked on the same folk tunes!Shostakovich was greatly influenced by Mahler's works.

If you want to make comparisons, get your facts right. I know that it is not big deal giving a reply to an article which is nearly five years old, but then, i noticed it only today! Atleast, future fans who browse through the articles will know what exactly is going on!