Émile Jaques-Dalcroze was a Swiss musician and music educator who developed eurythmics, a method of learning and experiencing music through movement. He trusted in the coincidence of musical, physical, and emotional experiences. A variety of movement analogues are used for musical concepts, to develop an integrated and natural feel for musical expression. Turning the body into a well-tuned musical instrument, Jaques-Dalcroze felt, was the best path to generating a solid, vibrant musical foundation.
Jaques-Dalcroze’s mother was an Italian singer. Born Émile Jaques, he later adopted Dalcroze as a double name. He studied in Genève, under Anton Bruckner in Wien (Vienna) and under Léo Delibes and Gabriel Fauré in Paris. As conductor at the theater in Algiers in 1886, he was fascinated by Arabic music. Appointed professor of music theory at the Genève Conservatoire in 1892, he developed his system of rhythmic gymnastics while there. In 1911, he founded the Institute of Music and Rhythm in Hellerau near Dresden. The school was visited by dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, amongst others, and attended by German expressionist dancer Mary Wigman. In the following year, the year of his participation, the first edition of his programmatic book The Eurythmics was published in London. In 1914, Jaques-Dalcroze returned to Genève, where he opened the Jaques-Dalcroze Institute in the following year. He directed the institute until his death. During his lifetime, he wrote 1,200 songs and piano pieces, many of which are still popular in Switzerland, as well as orchestral and chamber music and operas. He was appointed Officer of the Legion of Honor, became honorary citizen of Genève and was awarded the Genève Music Prize.
Switzerland