The Origin and Development of Eurythmy 1920–1922

GA 277c — 3 December 1921, Dornach

Address on Eurythmy

“Symbolum” by J. W. v. Goethe with music by Leopold van der Pals
“Sommerbild” by Friedrich Hebbel
‘Weltenseelengeister’ by Rudolf Steiner
Evoe with music by Max Schuurman
“Aus Ruhm und Ewigkeit” by Friedrich Nietzsche
“Die Spröde” and “Die Bekehrte” by J. W. von Goethe with music by Max Schuurman “Der Fischer” by J. W. v. Goethe with music by Leopold van der Pals “Erlkönig” by J. W. v. Goethe Romantic prelude with music by Max Schuurman “The Little Bouquet” by J. W. v. Goethe
Cheerful prelude
“My Child” by Heinrich Heine
Humoresques by Christian Morgenstern: “The Vulture Lamb”; “To the North”; “West-East”
“The Authority”; “The Butterfly”

Helene Finckh commented on this address: "Incomplete shorthand notes, because the lights went out and there was only inadequate candlelight, which also went out from time to time. Second performance, in the ‘small’ theater." See also Rudolf Steiner's remarks from the lecture of December 11, 1921, in Dornach, p. 438.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Allow me to preface our eurythmy performance with a few introductory words — not to explain eurythmy itself, which would be somewhat unartistic, but because what we see here as eurythmy is drawn from artistic sources that are still unfamiliar today and uses an unfamiliar artistic form of expression. And I would like to say a few words about these sources and this formal language.

You, dear audience, will see moving individuals or groups of people on stage. These movements are not mimetic, pantomimic, or dance-like, but rather a revelation of the human soul through a visible language. This truly visible language is not found by adding random gestures or facial expressions to the music or poetry that accompanies eurythmy, which expresses the same thing as eurythmy, which is experienced spiritually. Rather, eurythmy is actually found through careful — if I may use the expression — sensual-supersensory observation.

What is present in the whole human being as tendencies to move in speech or singing, these tendencies to move are not immediately expressed in speech or singing, but remain intentions. They are translated into what the speech or singing organ then performs in terms of movements, which continue as movements and which then convey what is sung or spoken to the ear. What can be observed, what wants to become movement, so to speak, but is transformed so that sound and voice can arise, is now imprinted on the individual or on groups of people, so that one has a real, visible language in front of one on the stage.

It is important that one does not interpret this word, this viewing of visible language, by focusing on the individual movements made by the person or group of people, just as one does not focus on individual tones or sounds, but that one sees the essence in the sequence of tones or sounds and also sees the essence in following the individual movements. Eurythmy is a kind of art that has the restless human being before it. Those who can observe the art of sculpture objectively will ultimately say to themselves: when they see a questioning human being, this questioning human being first reminds them of what a human being looks like after they have perhaps raised a question. The person standing there is the person who is silent in their soul, as opposed to the person who expresses their soul life when speaking – let's say, in response to a question. So when we say: He has expressed something contemplative through his soul [in sculpture] – then we perceive what is meant by this eurythmy as a visible language.

That is why this eurythmy can also be accompanied by poetry; it expresses the same thing as poetry, only when poetry is revealed through recitation or declamation, it happens through sound. One can also speak, speak visibly through eurythmy, one can also sing visibly through eurythmy. That is why you will also find musical performances on stage – through the movements of individuals or groups of people. However, this shows how our art of recitation and declamation must take on more artistic forms than we are accustomed to today – in a somewhat unartistic age. True poetry already contains a hidden eurythmy. The essence of poetry is not the literal content, but what is present in the treatment of language in terms of imagery, tact, rhythms, and musical themes. But it is precisely what is revealed in declamation as a secret eurythmy that can then be translated into the visible language of eurythmy. [There is a gap in the shorthand, then two sentences that have been started, before the text breaks off completely; see notes].