ABSTRACT
Meyerhold was a musician. Meyerhold’s use of music as a means of understanding and structuring theatrical productions, as well as an element used in those productions remained largely stable throughout his directing career. The essay models symphonic form. The first movement shows what Meyerhold learned from working on Chekhov’s plays, particularly The Seagull. The second movement concentrates on Meyerhold’s long collaboration with Mikhail Gnesin and Gnesin’s pedagogy of musical speech. The third movement focuses on Meyerhold’s complicated use of the pedagogy of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. The fourth movement explores the rich utilisation of music and musical ideas in Meyerhold’s productions throughout his career.
