Adolphe Appia – Schöpfer der „rhythmischen Räume“

Prof. Christine Straumer

Gespräch Vortrag

The rhythm of the Swiss composer and music pedagogue Emile Jaques-Dalcroze gets the stage space through Adolphe Appia. Adolphe Appia wanted to make the music visible in space, for this he needed the moving body as a connection between the spatial elements, for him the moving person had to bring the temporal into the spatial. Dalcroze had created a method to make music visible through the body. Elements with temporal disposition such as rhythm, tempo and beat, but also phrasing, sound and harmony played a role, which he made visible through physical exercises in space.

In the centre of the lecture the connections of both artists are thematized, documented by historical documents and visualized by rhythm exercises on the Appia stage. Prof. Straumer refers to her encounters with Misolet Bablet and Richard Beacham and his research on Adolphe Appia.

Afterwards, the participants of the event will have the opportunity to experience music spatially.

Christine Straumer is director of the Institute for Musical Teaching and Learning and the children’s class at the Carl Maria von Weber Dresden University of Music.

Her research includes the history and theory of rhythmics and history of the Festspielhaus Hellerau in connection with Emilie Jaques-Dalcroze. She directed and conceived further projects (Dalcroze 2001-2018) as well as rhythmics in primary school. She is founder and first chairman of the “Institut Rhythmik Hellerau e.V.” (2001)