Rhythm and Movement: Applications of Dalcroze Eurhythmics

Of the three elements of music---rhythm, melody, and harmony---rhythm has received the least attention from the theorists, yet it is indisputably the basic element without which there is no musical art. Such is the first sentence of this book on use of the body to express musical rhythm. Elsa Findlay is eminently qualified to write on this subject, having been a student of Emile-Jaques Dalcroze, the master himself, and also from her own experience in a variety of teaching situations. These included schools of dance and theater, colleges and universities, and The Cleveland Institute of Music, one of the first to offer a BMus degree with a major in eurhythmics. Each chapter concentrates on a different phase of rhythm: tempo, dynamics, duration, metrical patterns, speech and rhythm patterns, phrase and form, pitch and melody, and creative expression. Activities for each phase are outlined in detail and illustrated by charming drawings and photos. Appendices furnish further suggestions for exercises, games, action songs, and suitable music.