Focusing on Marie Steiner-von Sivers' distinctive collaboration with Rudolf Steiner, From the History of the Dornach Hill... offers an engaging, lively narrative of the early decades of the anthroposophical movement. Utilizing eye-witness accounts and primary sources, Angela Locher creates vivid images of the developing arts at the Goetheanum - in particular eurythmy, speech formation and the dramatic arts - but also describes many fascinating aspects of general anthroposophical history. The latter include the period of cooperation with the Theosophical Society; the design and building of the first and second Goetheanums; travels, tours and visits overseas with Rudolf Steiner; the pivotal Christmas Conference of 1923/4; stage performances including the Mystery Dramas; and Rudolf Steiner's unexpected death and its aftermath. Locher structures her absorbing study around the life of Marie Steiner - from her birth in 1867 and childhood in Russia to her eventual passing in Switzerland in 1948. 'I have written this book especially for subsequent generations of eurythmists, actors and speakers who could not experience what had been achieved in the previous century... the vital processes of the development of eurythmy and the dramatic arts. These created the foundation on which we stand today, and from which we can carry on into the future.' - Angela Locher
ANGELA LOCHER was born in Switzerland in 1930 and attended the Rudolf Steiner School in Zurich, where she excelled as a flutist. She served an apprenticeship as a bookbinder before studying eurythmy under Marianne Ruof and later Helene Reisinger. In 1955 she joined the eurythmy stage group at the Goetheanum under the direction of Marie Savitch. In 1973, she directed post-graduate studies for eurythmists, and from 1981 to 1990 she was leader of eurythmy work at the Goetheanum. From 1991 to 2004 she worked with the eurythmy training in Berlin. She has created numerous choreography forms for music and recitation, and has authored a biography of the eurythmist Helene Reisinger, who worked with Marie Steiner. Angela devoted her attention to creating this book in her 87th year, whilst living in close vicinity to the Goetheanum.
Preface by Angela Locher
Foreword to the German Edition by Virginia Sease
Note to the English Translation by Virginia Sease
Acknowledgments
From the Biography of the Goetheanum Hill in Dornach, 1913 1930 in 38 Images
Part I
Why Does the Building Bear the Name Goetheanum?
Marie von Sivers and Rudolf Steiner's Mutual Work for Speech Formation
The Drama Course
The Illness and Death of Rudolf Steiner
Marie Steiner's Development of the Acting Ensemble through Speech Formation
Work from the Section for the Performing Arts. Edwin Froboese is Summoned as Co-Worker
From the Work with Eurythmy
The Work on the Second Goetheanum and on the First and Second Mystery Dramas
Transferring Rudolf Steiner's Wooden Sculpture into the New Building: Jan Stuten
The Inauguration Conference in the Second Goetheanum. September 29 to October 7, 1928
The Creation and Development of the Speech Choir
Kurt Hendewerk: Our Path to Speech. From the Section Work with Frau Dr Steiner
Tours of the Dornach Speech Choir 1928 1934
1932 - Events Presented by the Section for the Performing Arts. Honouring Goethe's 100th Death Year
Press Releases about the Speech Choir
Marie Steiner's London Visit and the Trip to Ireland: Contribution by Birrethe Arden-Hansen
Rehearsals for the Michaelmas Conference 1929
The Christmas Conference 1929 and the Memorial for Carl Unger
Memories about Marie von Sivers as an Actress in Munich:
Carl Unger
Max Gumbel-Seiling
Margarita Woloschin
Felix Peipers
Part II
Marie Savitch: From the Life of Marie Steiner-von Sivers
Childhood
Marie von Siver's Youth
Life with Her Brother on the Estate in Novgorod
Paris - Her Deepest Interest Is Directed toward Speech and Drama. Study with Marie Favart
Return to Russia [1897]. The Encounter with Maria von Strauch-Spettini
Letters of Maria von Strauch-Spettini to Marie von Sivers
The Meeting with Edouard Schure
The Encounter with Rudolf Steiner
From Rudolf Steiner's Autobiography
Rudolf Steiner's Activity in the Worker's Educational School
Marie von Sivers Becomes a Member of the Theosophical Society
Appeal to Marie von Sivers to Become Rudolf Seiner's Co-Worker and, under His Leadership, Leader of the Berlin Lodge and Secretary of the German Section
Further Letters from Marie Strauch-Spettini and Her Death
The Development of the German Section of the Theosophical Society
Further Development of the German Section and Traveling Together
Rudolf Steiner's First Encounter with Edouard Schure in Paris
Mutual Work in the Development of Speech
'Eleusis to Hoelderlin' by Hegel
Ariel Scene from Faust Part II: Act One, Faust Monologue
'Behold the Sun' by Rudolf Steiner
The Sacred Drama of Eleusis by Edouard Schure. Correspondence with Schure: Rehearsals for the Congress, Whitsun 1907
The Congress Programme, May 18 to 21, Whitsun 1907
The Impact of the Congress in the Following Years until the Beginning of the War
The First Trip to Italy
The Visit with Schure in Barr
The Year 1908
Marie von Sivers Established Her Publishing House with Johanna Mucke
The First Visit to Malsch
The Visit to Schure and the Third Trip to Italy. Naples and Paestum
The Seventh General Assembly, October 25, 1908
Novalis and the Novalis Event, October 27, 1908
The Year 1909. Inaugurating Art Rooms in Berlin
The Festival Plays. The Children of Lucifer by Edouard Schure
The Year 1910
Lectures to Members in Various Cities about the Appearance of Christ in the Etheric World
Preparations for Rudolf Steiner's First Mystery Drama
The Festival Plays in Munich, July-August 1910
The Year 1911 - The Year of Marie von Sivers' Serious Illness: The Summer Festival Plays from July 14 to August 15, 1911:
I. The Drama of Eleusis; The Portal of Initiation; The Soul's Probation
II. The Building of the House in Stuttgart. The Laying of the Foundation Stone
and the Inauguration
III. The Endowment Attempt
IV. The End of the Year 1911 and the 'Dream Song of Olaf Asteson'
The Year 1912. Public Lectures in Berlin and Other Cities
Rudolf Steiner's Wills
The Trip to Helsingfors and the Address and Lectures for the Russian Friends
From the Book: The Green Snake
Rudolf Steiner's Calendar of the Soul
Return Trip on April 15 via Stockholm. Rudolf Steiner Introduced the Calendar of the Soul in Various Cities
The Festival Plays of 1912. The New Drama: The Guardian of the Threshold
Further Events in the Autumn of 1912
The Trip to Basel for the Lecture Cycle on the Gospel of St. Mark
The Birth of Eurythmy
A Report from Lory Smits
The First Visit to Dornach on October 2, 1912
Remembrances of Marie von Sivers and Nelly Grossheintz-Laval
The Dornach Hill Becomes the Focus for the Building
The Founding of the Anthroposophical Society: Contribution by Virginia Sease
Preparations for the 1912 Christmas Conference in Berlin and the Year 1913
Rudolf Steiner Made Young People Aware of Eurythmy
Rudolf Steiner Observed the Work of Lory Smits and Her Students
The Decision to Erect the Building in Dornach
The Time of the Festival Plays 1913. The New Drama: The Souls' Awakening
The First Eurythmy Demonstration for the Members
Rudolf Steiner's First Introductory Words to Eurythmy
The Laying of the Foundation Stone for the Building in Dornach, September 20, 1913
The Address for the Laying of the Foundation Stone of the Dornach Building
Oslo, October 1-6, 1913. The Beginning of the Communications about the Fifth Gospel
About the Construction Work in Dornach
Christian Morgenstern. His Connection to Rudolf Steiner and Marie von Sivers
The Year 1914 Began
The Construction of the Building in Dornach and the Lecture in Pforzheim, March 7, 1914 [The Five Primordial Words]
Marie von Sivers: The Task for the Development of the Art of Eurythmy
The Life at the Building Site. From the Remembrances of Assja Turgenief
The Work on the Building
The Outbreak of the First World War
Assja Turgenieff: The War Years in Dornach
Assja Turgenieff: The Work with Marie Steiner-von Sivers
Assja Turgenieff: Christmas Days 1914. [December 24, 1914 - the Marriage of Rudolf Steiner with Marie von Sivers]
The Lectures Art in the Light of Mystery Wisdom. From the Foreword by Marie Steiner
The Dornach Crisis in 1915
About the Celebrations for the Dead and the Addresses Rudolf Steiner Gave during the War
The Second Eurythmy Course in Dornach, 1915
Lea van der Pals: Frau Dr Steiner's Work with Eurythmy
Part III
The Opening of the Building, September 26, 1920
Assja Turgenieff: The Night of the Fire
The Time after the Fire
The Year 1919. Working in the Public Domain
The Public Lectures and Tours Arranged by the Concert Agency Wolff and Sachs. Opposing Forces
The West-East Congress at Whitsun, Vienna 1922
The Trip to England via Holland
The Visit to the Shakespeare Festival in Sratford-upon-Avon
The Preparations for the Trip to Oxford
The Year of Destiny in the History of the Anthroposophical Society 1923
Marie Steiner's Situation during this Time. Description by Marie Savitch
Marie Savitch Gave a Report of the Work in Dornach
The Decision to Rebuild the Goetheanum in Switzerland Was Made by the Annual General Meeting of the Anthroposophical Society in Switzerland
Additional National Societies Were Established
The Trip to England, August 1923
The Time Shortly before the Christmas Conference
From the Correspondence between Marie Steiner and Rudolf Steiner, November/December 1923
Rudolf Steiner: The Christmas Conference 1923/1924. From the Foreword by Marie Steiner
The Visit in Torquay, England. [Summer School, August 11-22, 1924]
Part IV
Marie Steiner's Destiny after Rudolf Steiner's Death
The Staging of Albert Steffen's Dramas
Performances of Goethe's Faust, 1937/1938 and Marie Steiner's 70th birthday
Newspaper Articles and Reviews of Faust Performances
The War Years 1939-1945
Albert Steffen's Words from His Annual Report of the Annual General Meeting on April 6, 1941
From the Annual Section Report 1942. Edwin Froboese
The Production of the Schiller Dramas with Tours through Switzerland
The Bride of Messina [with Reviews]
Opinions about Presenting Classical Performances to Students in Schools
The End of the War, 1945
Guest Performance Tours through Germany
The Conflicts in the Society
Marie Steiner's Appeal to the Members
The Difficulties Increase
Marie Steiner Established the Nachlassverein [Rudolf Steiner Legacy Association]
The Time in Dornach after the War
The Faust Days at the Goetheanum
From the Last Years of Marie Steiner's Life and Ehrenfried Pfeiffer's Initiative in the USA
The Correspondence of Ehrenfried Pfeiffer and Marie Steiner 1947
The Death of Jan Stuten
Marie Steiner's Death in Beatenberg. Report by H. W. Zbinden
Eva Froboese: Remembrance of Marie Steiner's Death and the Coffin Transport back to Dornach
Fritz Goette: In Remembrance of Marie Steiner-von Sivers. The Memorial Celebrations
Conclusion
Afterword by Angela Locher
Appendices
I. Virginia Sease: The Collaboration of Rudolf Steiner and Marie Steiner in Esotericism
II. Virginia Sease: The Endowment
III. Hans Buchenbacher: The Lecture in Munich on May 15, 1922, in the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten
IV. H. W. Zbinden: Eternal Individuality. In Memoriam of Marie Steiner-von Sivers
Epilogue
Contributors
Index of Illustrations
Bibliography
