Newsletter from the Section for the Arts of Eurythmy, Speech and Music Easter 2005 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial “A Christmas Carol” performed by Matthew Dexter (Alan Stott) . 44 “Steiner graffiti” by Christopher Marcus (Alan Stott) . 45 Topical questions forum Obituaries Comment by Michael Schlesinger . 2 Some Observations on Eurythmy at the Turn Barbara Stalling (Rose Zimmer) . 46 of the Century (Marianne Ruof) . 3 Marianne Ruof (R. Elisabeth Widmer) . 48 A basis for a conversation in educational eurythmy Roswitha Sydow(Karin Unterborn, Ursula Ries) . 49 (Martina Christmann) . 4 Cornelia Rens-Portielje (Wijnand Mees) . 50 Catherine Carmack (Patricia Craham) . 51 What changes in the constitution do Students Eurythmy as a Threshold Art (Carol Ann Williamson) . 52 in the Eurythmy Training experience? Evaluation of the questionnaire for eurythmy students (Arnold Pröll) . 6 Announcements Some thoughts on eurythmy today, with a ‘thank-you’ to Virginia Sease and Sergej Prokofieff (Cara Groot) . 7 Eurythmy . 55 Speech . 58 Music . 59 Articles Puppetry . 60 Statements for Orientation: – What initiatives to improve the situation in the Publications professional fields in eurythmy are undertaken by the Section? (Werner Barfod) . 8 “Etheric bowing” (Harmonice Mundi: – A report out of the collaboration of the eurythmical Magnus Schlichtig, Martin Jacobi) . 60 and educational mandate group of both Sections “Durchkraftete Stille und Bewegung” (Marjorie Spock) . 60 with the Bund (Steiner-Waldorf Schools Fellowship edition zwischentöne (Gerhard Beilharz) . 60 in Germany (Karin Unterborn, Christof Wiechert) . 10 Rudolf Steiner on Eurythmy, in English . 61 Eurythmy as a Visible Speech (Thomas Göbel) . 12 How do we develop a eurythmical gesture? (Thomas Göbel) . 15 Book Reviews Number and Rhythm: The Number Three (Rosemaria Bock) . 18 Working Material for Eurythmists in Kindergartens, The Angle-Gestures revisited: Schools and Adult Classes – An exercise in appropriation (Alan Stott) . 21 Poems by Hedwig Diestel (Renate Barth) . 61 Eurythmy and the Energetical Fields: «Der Wind streicht übers weite Land» by Stephan An extended review (Klaus Bracker) . 25 Ronner (Achim Kegel, Reinhild Brass) . 61 New Music: What are the main questions in new music? (Holger Arden) . 29 Sculptural form as visible speech (Michael Howard) . 31 Miscellaneous Speech Formation: Calling up the healing forces in the human being, Lecture by Christa Slezak-Schindler Correcting some mistakes to GA texts on Eurythmy (Report by Martin-Ingbert Heigl) . 37 (Helgo Zücker) . 62 Sound Formatin (Part 3) (Siegfried Meier) . 39 Reader’s Letter Reports / Stage Forum from Alan Stott . 63 Diploma exam at the Alanus Hochschule (Bonn) (Chantal Dumont) . 41 “The Human Being as Music” (Lena Christina Olofsdotter) . 42 Training for the Stage today (Benedikta Schradi) . 42 Further Training for Eurythmy Tutors in the Trainings, Oct. 2004 (Tanja Masukowitz, Charlotte Frisch) . 43 “Eurythmie-Referendariat”: a project in co-operation . 43 Eurythmy Further Training in Music Eurythmy with Dorothea Mier (Nicole Anasch) . 44 2 Dear Readers, recognised professional qualifications, and with an intensi- fication of the manner of working with students. This, how- Our week in January, “Science in Spirituality – Spirituality in ever, may not yet be visible through an increase of student Life”, for young people studying and in training, is just com- numbers. A Eurythmy Committee has taken up its work as ing to an end. Students from many countries came with an organ for assessing the trainings for a financing through open, questioning minds, actively participating in working- the Waldorf-Steiner Schools Fellowship in Germnany (the groups and conversations. Serious and relaxed, they live Bund). More details and further activities and initiatives with existential questions, placing themselves without pre- through the Section are described in the report in this issue. conceptions into the whole situation. This seems to be a Silent eurythmical compositions were a new initiative at generation who know themselves, young people who have the ‘Festival for those who have Died’, in November 2004 at taken on a task.... the Goetheanum, and is to be integrated into the Class Con- In the just-ended Christmas Conference, the audience in ference for Class members at the beginning of July 2005. the full auditorium saw for the last time the present produc- The Speech Trainers meetings have intensified with regard tion of Steiner’s four ‘Mystery Dramas’. This, the climax and to the topical questions. The Section’s working-group for special achievement of the Goetheanum Stage, made a speech formation and acting has begun its regular work of strong final chord. We were most grateful that it was made advising. Some participants of the drama colloquium are possible. Schiller’s “The Bride of Messina” has been already looking in a working-process at the manner of performing performed, and “Maria Stuart” is beginning to be rehearsed. the Mystery Dramas with regard to the various levels of per- Schiller’s Centenary has arrived with the directors Johannes forming movement, and will be invited early this year to an Peyer and Jobst Langhans. The new leaders of the Stage, evening devoted to study this question. Sarah Kane and Torsten Blanke, take up preparatory work This year the musicians met for Section work in Dornach conversing with members of the Ensemble, in order to form and Stuttgart, and for conferences at the Goetheanum, in a smaller permanent Ensemble. For each production the Hamburg and in the U.S.A. budget has to be made anew.These are new demands con- In the realm of puppetry, the 70th anniversary of the Pup- sequent on the tightening financial situation. pet Theatre Felicia (Dornach) was celebrated with great suc- The Eurythmy Ensemble starts soon the rehearsals of cess and with many events. From 2005 a study year is offered Schütz’s “The Seven Words from the Cross” and works by in block courses. Sofia Gubaidulina. In this Easter Newsletter we would like to include two As each year, the Eurythmy Trainers from all over the world brochures: Section Information and Section Dates 2005. met once again in practical exchange with regard to the Please make use of them. training tasks today. An intensive working conference, with the latest reports, facing tasks for the process of transforma- tion of the trainings showed us that we are progressing with Yours January 2005 TOPICAL QUESTIONS FORUM Die Wüste starrt. In ihrer grauen Blösse In the time since then I read the Newsletter, and recently Erscheint sie gross und kraftvoll wie das Böse, too in a magazine with a pretentious name, that “eurythmy Wo es sich kosmisch wirksam vorbereitet. is at an end”. (The tenor was, ‘We must rebuild it—accord- [The desert stares. In its grey nakedness ing to our ideas.’) With the statement that a certain thing is it appears big and strong like Evil, at its end, we steer away from ourselves and project our where it prepares itself to be cosmically effective.] problems on to the matter. Alfred Meebold How does such a thing come about? If somebody has come to an end of something—perhaps it never was his thing—then he projects (assuming some non-presence of Michael Schlesinger,DE-Lörrach consciousness arising out of lack of insight) his/her inner condition on to the matter, and concludes: “It is at its end!” Some time ago I met a small child, a boy, perhaps just five He/she possibly missed a training which suited him/her, years old. He stopped in front of me, and said accusingly, and his/her professional path, and met in eurythmy some- “You are a very old ‘Ogie’!” I did not let the child go. “Stop, thing which only for a time could give him/her professional stop, stop! Stay here for a bit. Do you know who you are? You satisfaction. are a very young ‘Oogie’!” The child felt probably a little awk- The statement that something is at its end can also be ward, looked around uncertainly, and ran off in the direction compared to the Fox of the famous fable who, seeing the of his mother, who, from a distance, had watched this little shining grapes, says they are sour. Not everything which is so scene with amusement. high that we cannot quite reach it is really sour. And espe- TOPICAL QUESTIONS FORUM 3 cially not, when we have to lose a lot of sweat before we are deeds. In the house of Richard Wagner in Bayreuth, she fol- able to reach the grapes. What we do not understand we lows with admiration the dance creations of a dancer. After- cannot love. And, before love, the gods have placed effort— wards Malvida von Meysenbug writes on the art of the if we do not make the effort, ‘the world’ remains for us hid- dance, as follows: den, closed. Eurythmy is as little ‘at its end’ as the little boast- “How this reminded me of thoughts with which I am often er, the little “Ogie”. concerned and to which shortly before a spiritually-minded Whether or not projection, in the present situation we friend told me in a loving way her experience with her chil- should be aware that Ahriman’s incarnation casts its shad- dren, namely the effect of the dance in education! In the ow before! Amongst the many signs which point towards it, same way as the dance has certainly been one of the first for example, is the disappearance of the sense for poetry. expressions of deep inner, sacred religious feelings, so it is This is noticeable since the middle of the ’80’s. In Waldorf natural for the child, and should be applied by understand- Schools as well as in its mother movement it did not appear ing educators, to develop an understanding of rhythm, the so crass, and is only noticeable slowly with delays.