Improvisation (music)
Improvisation in music refers to the spontaneous creation or performance of music without relying on a prewritten score. This practice, often associated with genres like jazz and blues, allows musicians to explore and express their creativity within a certain stylistic framework. Historically, improvisation has been a revered skill, with roots tracing back to medieval and Renaissance periods when it was used to enhance musical memory and composition techniques. Notable classical composers, including Mozart and Beethoven, engaged in improvisation contests, highlighting its importance in musical education and performance.
Throughout the 19th century, improvisation evolved from a technical craft to an art form that emphasized emotional expression. The Jazz Age of the 1920s marked a significant resurgence of improvisation, as jazz musicians employed spontaneous composition to forge a deeper connection with their audiences. This trend has continued into the 21st century, influencing various music styles, including rap and hip-hop, where freestyle rapping exemplifies modern improvisation. Overall, improvisation remains a vital aspect of musical expression, reflecting both individual creativity and cultural dialogue.
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Improvisation (music)
Improvisation in music refers to the spontaneous composition or performance of a piece of music that does not adhere to a preexisting musical text. Improvisation, though unplanned, often follows a preset style of music such as jazz or blues. An improvised composition's uniqueness is marked by the degree of departure from a specific musical framework. Early techniques in musical improvisation were taught to improve a musician's knowledge of composition. Later methods emphasized improvisation's ability to express emotion. Improvisation has existed as a highly respected skill for centuries and was practiced by classical masters such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach.
Overview
Scholars trace music improvisation back to medieval and Renaissance times. Teachers taught aspiring composers and musicians a technique referred to as embellishment. This type of instruction was meant to enhance the student's musical memory. By the eighteenth century, most amateur musicians were expected to be proficient in improvisation. Improvisational skill signified a well-rounded musical education.
Classical music took improvisation a step further and added a competitive element to the practice. Ludwig van Beethoven and Mozart were known to compete in improvisation contests with their rivals. Improvisation remained an essential skill of professional musicians through the nineteenth century, and classical music masters such as Johannes Brahms, Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, and Franz Schubert were all accomplished improvisers as well as composers.
Composers mainly regarded music as a technical craft up until the nineteenth century. At this time, musicians began introducing self-expression into their compositions. This marked the beginning of music becoming an art form, though the trend was slow to catch on. Music instruction undermined the importance of improvisation for much of the twentieth century, favoring technical expertise over experimentation.
Improvisation experienced a resurgence in popularity during the Jazz Age of the 1920s. Modern musical improvisation departed from a scholarly focus on the technique, instead concentrating on the emotional meaning behind a piece of music. Jazz musicians greatly influenced improvisation's return to popularity. Improvisation became an indispensable element of the genre, distinguishing it from other types of music. Jazz performers infused emotion with improvisation, relying on the art of spontaneous composition as a means of uniting musician with the audience.
Jazz improvisation inspired musicians from other genres to employ the technique. The 1960s saw the introduction of the "jam band" and psychedelic music, which made heavy use of improvisation to express how the musicians felt while under the influence of psychedelic drugs. Improvisation continues to find support from modern musicians through the twenty-first century.
Bibliography
Bass, John. "Improvisation in Sixteenth-Century Italy: Lessons from Rhetoric and Jazz." Performance Practice Review. 14, No. 1 (2009): 1-32. Print. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1230&context=ppr
Carter, Tim, John Butt, eds. "The Cambridge History of Seventeenth-Century Music." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 440-457. Print. https://books.google.com/books?id=mHJvKVq0vXoC&pg=PA24&dq=Embellishing+Sixteenth-Century+Music&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjxhLSj5abJAhWE7yYKHQZTBpkQ6AEIKzAD#v=onepage&q=improvisation&f=false
Harris, William. "Improvising as a Lost Art: The Art of Realtime Composition." Middlebury College. Middlebury College. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/MusicPapers/MusicAlive.html
Grove, Sir George, and John Alexander Fuller-Maitland, eds. Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Volume 2. New York: MacMillan and Co., 1906. 462-463. Print. https://books.google.com/books?id=wR0PAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+New+Grove+Dictionary+of+Music+and+Musicians&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUlsfc-Z‗JAhUM5CYKHUPwAxwQ6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=improvisation&f=false
Moore, Robin. "The Decline of Improvisation in Western Art Music: An Interpretation of Change." International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music. 23, No. 1 (1992): 61-84. Print. https://www.amherst.edu/media/view/58903/original/Moore+-+The+Decline+of+Improvisation+in+Western+Art+Music.pdf
Solis, Gabriel, Bruno Nettl, eds. Musical Improvisation: Art, Education, and Society. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2009. 1-20. Print. https://books.google.com/books?id=dORvqtnG-4sC&printsec=frontcover&dq=improvisation+(music)&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiR8aW63J‗JAhUFZCYKHSyiAbYQ6wEILDAB#v=onepage&q&f=false