From the History of the Dornach Hill…

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 Froböse 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 Gümbel-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 Édouard Schuré

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 Édouard Schuré in Paris

Mutual Work in the Development of Speech

‘Eleusis to Hölderlin’ by Hegel

Ariel Scene from Faust Part II: Act One, Faust Monologue

‘Behold the Sun’ by Rudolf Steiner

The Sacred Drama of Eleusis by Édouard Schuré. Correspondence with Schuré: 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 Schuré in Barr

The Year 1908

Marie von Sivers Established Her Publishing House with Johanna Mücke

The First Visit to Malsch

The Visit to Schuré 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 Édouard Schuré

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 Åsteson’

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 Froböse

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 Froböse: Remembrance of Marie Steiner’s Death and the Coffin Transport back to Dornach

Fritz Götte: 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 Büchenbacher: 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