Jaques-Dalcroze, ymile

Swiss music educator and composer, creator of EURHYTHMICS; b. Vienna (of French parents), July 6, 1865; d. Geneva, July 1, 1950. In 1873 Jacques-Dalcroze's parents moved to Geneva. After completing his courses at the university and conservatory there, he went to Vienna for further study under ROBERT FUCHS and ANTON BRUCKNER. He then went to Paris, where he studied with LEO DELIBES and GABRIEL FAURÉ . He returned to Geneva as a theory instructor at the conservatory in 1892.

Since he laid special stress on rhythm, he insisted that all his pupils beat time with their hands. This led him, step by step, to devise a series of movements affecting the entire body. With the French psychologist Edouard Claparide, he worked out a special terminology and reduced his practice to a regular system, which he called eurhythmics.

When his application to have his method introduced as a regular course at the conservatory was refused, Jacques-Dalcroze resigned, and in 1910 he established his own school at Hellerau, near Dresden. Because of World War I, the school was closed in 1914. He then returned to Geneva and founded the Institute Jaques-Dalcroze. Interest in his system led to the opening of similar schools in London, Berlin, Vienna, Paris, New York, Chicago, and elsewhere.

Dalcroze Eurythmics is still a popular method used to teach music to young children.

Aside from his rhythmical innovations, Jaques-Dalcroze also commanded respect as a composer of marked originality and imagination. Many of his works show how thoroughly he had absorbed the spirit of Swiss FOLK MUSIC. Other works have pedagogical purposes, while still others are purely theatrical. He also wrote several textbooks describing his technique of teaching music.