Frederick Matthias Alexander
The Innovator Behind the Alexander Technique
Frederick Matthias Alexander, an Australian born in Tasmanian in 1869, revolutionised our understanding of human movement and wellness with his groundbreaking Alexander Technique. His journey from an accomplished actor to a world-renowned figure is a story of tenacity and innovation.
In 1887 he moved to Melbourne for training in stage performance, singing and violin. By his early 20s he became professional, successfully pursuing a career in Shakespearean recitals, performing in theatres in Melbourne and Sydney and touring through Tasmania, Victoria and New Zealand making an impression wherever he performed.
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Alexander relocated to Sydney in 1891, however, by 1893 chronic laryngitis eventually caused him to lose his voice during performances which threatened his ambitions and career. Determined to find a solution, Alexander meticulously studied his own movements and posture with the use of mirrors. He discovered patterns of tension and misuse that affected his voice.
Through persistent experimentation over a 10 year period, he developed principles focusing on the alignment of the head, neck, and spine. By unlearning harmful habits and promoting conscious control over his movements, Alexander restored his voice and discovered a method that improved overall health, stature, performance and mood.
Thus, the Alexander Technique was born.
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Dr. Stewart McKay, a specialist in respiratory rehabilitation and internationally renown author, heard about Alexander's work from his asthmatic patients whose health had improved due to Alexander's work. Tuberculosis was a serious problem of the day and had been so for many centuries past and for decades to come. Dr McKay sent Alexander some of his patients who were not responding to the conventional Rest Cure and they too improved reporting freer breathing and often better circulation, digestion and sleep and heightened sense of well being. Recognising the broader implications of Alexander’s technique Dr McKay encouraged him to move to London as he believed that London's global stage would be ideal for developing and sharing this revolutionary method.
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Alexander acquired the fare for his passage to England and to fund the set up of his practice in London due to a serendipitous meeting with a bookmaker on a Sydney tramcar in 1904 who asked Alexander if he'd like to make a wager on two important horse races with the price at 150 to 1. Alexander's brain “became, as it were, a lightening calculator associated with desperate optimism and dangerous courage” then recalling his brother, having earlier made a fruitful connection with a proud and boastful racehorse owner, had earlier told him the names of the two horses which would win these races. Alexander 5 pound note could yield 750 pounds. With this realisation and reflecting upon the uncanny series of events he was prepared to take the risk and told the bookmaker so. Sure enough, both horses won their respective race.
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Alexander arrived in London in 1904 with letters of introduction to Dr McKay's Harley Street medical associates. His technique quickly gained traction. He taught individuals suffering from various ailments as well as politicians, clergy and stage performers who relied heavily on their vocal and physical presence in an era without modern amplification systems.
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F. M. Alexander's work in his technique gained recognition and appreciation from various well-known figures across diverse fields such as the well known actor and director, Sir Lawrence Olivier, the anatomis and anthropologist Raymond Dart, authors Aldous Huxley and George Bernard Shaw and Sir Charles Sherrington, a neurophysiologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
One of his most notable supporters, American philosopher and education reformer John Dewey, saw the Alexander Technique as aligning with his educational philosophies. Dewey's endorsement boosted the technique's credibility and spread its influence.
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As well as numerous articles Alexander authored four major books from 1910 to 1941 which documented his further developments of the technique and its application and broader implications for society.
In 1931 Alexander established the first Alexander Technique Teacher Training school ensuring the accurate transmission of his techniques to future generations. Hundreds of Alexander Technique teacher training schools around the world were to follow over the coming decades.
Frederick Matthias Alexander passed away in 1955, but his legacy lives on. Today, the Alexander Technique is practiced worldwide and remains a vital tool for improving physical health, states of mind, performance and the overall quality of life.
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F.M. Alexander's journey from vocal struggles to pioneering thinker is a testament to the power of curiosity and the application of scientific principles by a man who had no formal scientific training, a factor recognised and acknowledged by Prof Nicholas Tinbergen during his acceptance speech for the 1974 Noble Prize for Physiology or Medicine.
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