F. Matthias Alexander: The Man and His Work (Memoirs of Training in the Alexander Technique 1931-34)

178 Pages·2005·46.223 MB·English

by  Lulie Westfeldt

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F. MATTHIAS ALEXANDER:
THE MAN AND HIS WORK
L ULIE WESTFELDT
F. MATTHIAS ALEXANDER
I. F. M. Alexander at 72, September 1941
F. MATTHIAS
ALEXANDER
THE MAN AND HIS WORK
BY
LULIE WESTFELDT
£
centerline
ress
Published by Centerline Press,
2005 Palo Verde A venue, Long Beach, California 90815
Text Copyright (C) 1964 by Lulie Westfeldt
Forward and Introduction Copyright (C) 1986 Centerline Press
Published by special arrangement with the Estate of Lulie
Westfeldt. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical
means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from Centerline Press.
First published in paperback by Centerline Press, October 1986
ISBN 0-91311-115-1
Printed in the United States of America
This book is dedicated to
CATHERINE WIELOPOLSKA
with love and gratitude

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to acknowledge and thank the friends and pupils
who have helped me so generously in the many problems
that have occurred in the writing and the launching of this
book: Jim Becket, Jane Lillibridge, Mrs John Knox
Jessup, Jr, Rick Williams, Dr and Mrs Clark Foreman,
Dr and Mrs Donald Mainland, Dr Millard Smith, Mr and
Mrs Robertson Davies, John Black, Dr David Wolfe,
Mrs Leconte Du Nouy, Mrs Alfred Wielopolska, Mrs
Lawrence Saunders, and the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York, for permission to reproduce plates 4a,
4b, 5a, 5b and 6.
JOHN DEWEY
ON THE WORK OF F. M. ALEXANDER
John Dewey wrote introductions to three of F. M. Alexander's
books.T heseq uotationsa ref rom two of them.
'It bears the same relation to education that education itself
bears to life.'
( Introduction to The Use of the Self)
'It contains in my judgment the promise and potentiality of the
new direction that is needed in all education.'
(Ibid.)
'Personally, I cannot speak with too much admiration-in the
original sense of wonder as well as the sense of respect-of the
persistence and thoroughness with which these extremely
difficult observations and experiments were carried out.'
(Ibid.)
'Mr Alexander has demonstrated a new scientific principle with
respect to the control of human behaviour, as important as any
principle which has ever been discovered in the domain of
external nature.'
( Introduction to Constructvie ConsciousC ontrol
of the Individual)
CONTENTS
Introduction - Troup Mathews
Forward - Alice W. Mathews V
Author's Preface 15
SECTION I
My Introduction to Alexander's Work 21
My First Series of Lessons 34
Early Days of the Training Course 46
Gradual Change in my Outlook on Alexander 54
Our Progress in Learning - Some of the Changes
the Work Brought about in Pupils 66
Alexander and Opportunities 72
'The Merchant of Venice' 78
Learning to be Teachers 84
A Personal Experience 89
Postscript to the Teacher's Training Course 95
SECTION II
Alexander's Discovery of the HN & B Pattern 125
Detailed Discussion of the Head, Neck and Back
Relationship 133
Other Discoveries of Alexander's 142
Alexander's Technique of Inhibition 147
Summary and Evaluation 152
APPENDIX
Clarification of Terms [I and 2) 159
Comments of John Dewey, Sir Charles Sherrington
and G.E. Coghill 160