Nobel Prize Episode
The ‘Nobel Prize episode’ refers to an exchange of letters in New Scientist and Science 1974–75, in response to Nikolaas Tinbergen’s 1973 Nobel Prize lecture. New Scientist correspondence The American journalist and author Edward Maisel contacted New Scientist complaining about Tinbergen’s representation of the Alexander Technique in his Nobel Prize lecture. The outcome was […]
Beaumont Alexander vs. Margaret Goldie
This 1960 court case revolved around the right of teachers of the Alexander Technique who were no longer teaching at Ashley Place to use the name ‘Alexander Technique’. In July 1958 the plaintiffs Beaumont Alexander, Ivy Lilian Ada Johnson, John Graham Vicary, and Practitioners of the F. M. Alexander Technique Ltd. issued […]
South African Libel Case
In 1945 F. M. Alexander sued the South African journal Manpower for defamation and he won the case in 1948. The official name of the case is: ‘Frederick Matthias Alexander, Plaintiff, versus Ernst Jokl, Eustace Henry Cluver, Bernard Maule Clarke, Defendants’ The case was heard February – March 1948. Judgment was given in […]
Alexander vs. Loraine 1909
F. M. Alexander successfully sued the actor Robert Loraine for non-payment of lessons in 1909. The Case On the evening of 5 March 1909 the actor Robert Loraine contacted F. M. Alexander because he had lost his voice. Loraine was due to perform in The School for Scandal the next day and asked Alexander […]
Offshoots of the Alexander Technique
‘Offshoots’ are here defined as techniques and methods inspired by or evolved from the Alexander Technique, in whole or part. This is different from applying the Alexander Technique to an activity. ‘Offshoots’ are not dependent on previous knowledge of the Technique. Some are presented below, in chronological order. Dr Robert Henry Scanes Spicer (1856-1925) […]
Origin of the name ‘Alexander Technique’
The name ‘Alexander Technique’ or ‘F. M. Alexander Technique’ was not used by Alexander originally, but it came about gradually and it appears to have been used for lack of a better name. By the 1940s it became the established name for Alexander’s work. History For many years Alexander did not settle on a […]