Emile Jaques-Dalcroze
1865-1950
Emile Jaques, born in Vienna of Swiss parents in the summer 1865, was a fascinating individual. By the turn of the century, he was already known for his music composition. Later, having altered his family name from Jaques to Jaques-Dalcroze (to better distinguish himself from another composer), he became known for much more than his compositions. Emile Jaques-Dalcroze developed into one of the greatest educators in the 20th century.
Many do not realize that Jaques-Dalcroze was the dominating influence in the world of dance, drama, and music from before World War I until the beginning of World War II. Through his international schools in Dresden, Geneva, and New York, his name became synonymous with education and performance in music, movement and dance, as well as dramatic staging and lighting. Today, his influences on music, dance, and theatre run deep. In 1892, after formal study at the Vienna conservatory under Anton Bruckner and the Paris Conservatory under Gabriel Fauré, he began his teaching career by accepting a post as Professor of Harmony at the Conservatory in Geneva, Switzerland. It was in Geneva, however, that he discovered teaching in a conservatory is not what some would imagine.
He observed that the background of young conservatory students often consisted of visual skills; the students had learned to look and read, rather than listen and hear. In order to bridge this gap between visual and aural skills, Jaques-Dalcroze developed a most exciting and innovative approach to music teaching. An approach employed the human body as the primary musical instrument. He developed this new approach into a method he called "Gynmastique Rythmique," and published its first volumes in 1906.
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