The Origin and Development of Eurythmy 1912–1918

GA 277a — 29 June 1918

Rudolf Steiner's Foreword to “Preludes to Eurythmic Performances” by Leopold Van Der Pals

Rudolf Steiner wrote a foreword to Leopold van der Pals' compositions for piano, published in 16 individual brochures by Philosophisch-Anthroposophischer Verlag in 1918, which takes up the main themes of his eurythmy lectures in 1918.

Mr. van der Pals intended the musical “preludes” presented in the following pages as accompaniments to a specific type of eurythmic performance. This type of eurythmy is initially practiced within a closed circle, but is in the process of expanding. It originated several years ago when a lady (Mrs. Smits) asked me whether a more serious form of dance art could be realized. In response to this request, something developed that, however, has little to do with what we are accustomed to calling “dance art.” What the aforementioned circle cultivates as eurythmy can perhaps be characterized in the following way. In human speech, the larynx and its neighboring organs are in a movement that can be grasped through intuitive recognition. Anyone who has a lively understanding of Goethe's view of metamorphosis may well try to transfer it from the realm of forms to that of the movements of the organism. According to this view, an organ or organ connection is the result of the transformation of another organ or organ connection. But an entire organism can also be thought of as the metamorphosis of one of its members. Extended to the movements of the human organism, this view results in movements that embody spoken or musically conceived ideas through the whole human being, just as the larynx and its neighboring organs artistically embody words and sounds. In training such eurythmy, one is dealing with an art of movement of the human organism that leaves aside all pantomime, mimicry, and mere art of gestures and replaces it with a natural connection elevated to the artistic level. Through this art of movement, the whole human being accomplishes what, in the natural context, the larynx and the organs associated with it accomplish in the formation of words and sounds. Those who combine seriousness with a view of Goethe's, as expressed in the sentence, come to the possibility of seeking art in this way: Style rests “on the deepest foundations of knowledge, on the essence of things, insofar as we are permitted to recognize it in visible and tangible forms.” Certainly, when attempting to realize a very limited field of art, one cannot immediately refer to a comprehensive idea to characterize it; but one may perhaps draw attention to the fact that the feelings that guide such an attempt are in line with what Goethe asserted for artistic creation. Goethe saw art as a continuation of nature, "for when man is placed at the summit of nature, he sees himself again as a whole nature, which must once more produce a summit within itself. To this end, he elevates himself by imbuing himself with all perfections and virtues, invoking choice, order, harmony, and meaning, and finally rising to the production of the work of art" (Goethe in his book on Winckelmann).

The attempt at eurythmy referred to here is carried by such feelings. What can be intuitively recognized as the movement impulse of the larynx and the organs interacting with it is lawfully transferred to the movements of the entire human organism. Added to this are the forms of movement of this organism in space and forms that arise through the interaction of a number of people. These movements are a spatial image of everything that animates word and sound formation as emotional content, rhythm, verse structure, etc. - If everything that is strived for in this way is only in its infancy in the circle mentioned, it may nevertheless be regarded as the beginning of a movement art based on possible sensations, which promises a fruitful continuation.

On the one hand, this eurythmy is connected with the art of recitation. What is heard in recitation—not the content of the thoughts as such, but the artistic content—is manifested through the movement of the human organism and through group forms and group movements in space. The basic idea is that this manifestation is not an arbitrary visualization, but should have the effect of a work of art that has its own laws, like a musical work of art. In the field of a kind of interaction between the art of movement and recitation, Mrs. Marie Steiner has taken over the leadership of what has been attempted within the aforementioned circle so far.

Another aspect, the mood and other musical elements that permeate the performances, is embodied in the following compositions by Mr. van der Pals. The composer has completely adapted himself to the artistic laws of eurythmy. These “upbeats” are performed at the beginning, at certain points during, and at the end of a eurythmic piece, in connection with movements that correspond to the music as well as to the preceding or following recitation. It is fair to say that those involved in eurythmy owe Mr. van der Pals a debt of gratitude. Through his musical assistance, he has had a significant, stimulating, and invigorating effect on the art of eurythmy. It is therefore with great satisfaction that this group of individuals is undertaking to publish van der Pals' compositions. They will give an idea of how eurythmy will be even more closely connected with music in the future. So far, the beginning has been made with a connection to recitation. But there is the possibility of bringing the art of movement as close to music as it is to the art of recitation.