The Origin and Development of Eurythmy 1923–1925

GA 277d — 13 January 1924, Dornach

Eurythmy Performance

On this day, Rudolf Steiner gave a lecture in which he spoke, among other things, about the Archangel Michael, whom one can only reach "if one comes through the words to true inner spiritual experiences [...]. That is indeed the secret of modern initiation: to go beyond words to the experience of the spiritual. [...] when one no longer thinks in language, one begins to feel language and to have it flow within oneself and from oneself as an element of feeling. But this is something that people today must first strive for. Perhaps it cannot be achieved by people through language at first, but first through writing. For even with regard to writing, it is not people who have writing, but writing that has people. What does it mean that writing has people? It means that one has a certain style of writing in one's wrist, in one's hand. One writes mechanically from the hand. This binds people. People become unbound when they write as they paint or draw, when each letter next to the other becomes something they draw, where what is commonly called handwriting is not present, but where they draw the shape of the letter, where they therefore relate objectively to the letter, so that the essential thing is to look at it." (from: “Mystery Sites of the Middle Ages,” GA 233a, 6th ed. Basel 2013, p. 96) — Rudolf Steiner himself attempted to apply what he describes here in the draft announcement for January 13, 1924, as well as in other draft announcements in 1924.

“Anmutige Gegend” (Graceful Region) from “Faust II” by J. W. von Goethe with music by Jan Stuten
‘Weihnacht’ (Christmas) by Vladimir Solovyov Arioso by G. F. Handel
“Suleika” by J. W. von Goethe
Aria from the opera “Clearco in Negroponte” by Domenico Gabrielli
From the ‘Kalevala’
Sarabande by Jean-Philippe Rameau
“Die Westküsten” by Christian Morgenstern
“Humoresque” by Edward Grieg
Humoresques by Christian Morgenstern: “The Rehearsal”; “Vice Versa”; “The Two Bottles”; “Hedgehog and Agel”
Gavotte by J. S. Bach

On Wednesday at half past seven there will be another eurythmy performance which will actually be, how shall I put it, a twin, a twin eurythmy performance. We have experienced two farewell performances. Next Wednesday at half past seven, I am told, there will be the farewell performance of Miss Pohl and Miss Langer at the same time. They will both say goodbye at the same time in what I hear will be a beautiful farewell performance. You are cordially invited to attend this twin farewell performance next Wednesday at half past seven. —From the members' lecture in Dornach, January 13, 1924