APPROCHES TO IMPROVISE PRELUDE, EMBELLISHMENT AND CADENZA IN THE CLASSICAL AND EARLY ROMANTIC ERAS

Abstract

This research aims to revitalize the art of improvisation and explore performance practices in classical music. Currently, classical musicians often play according to written scores without utilizing improvisational skills creatively. Historical research on musical performance reveals that improvisation has been a crucial skill from the Baroque to the Romantic era. Renowned music pedagogues such as Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Joachim Quantz, Leopold Mozart, and Carl Czerny have written about improvisation in their treatises, notably Czerny’s “A Systematic Introduction to Improvisation on the Pianoforte, Op. 200,” which emphasizes improvisational artistry. This research focuses on improvisation in three contexts: introductory presentations, embellishing melodies, and playing cadenzas, using lessons from these texts as guidelines for contemporary classical music performance and education. The researcher has trained in the skills of improvising introductions, ornaments, and cadenzas, and has presented these through piano performances to demonstrate how creative practices can be incorporated into classical music and enhance the enjoyment of present performances. Furthermore, teaching improvisation skills helps to foster imagination and a deeper understanding of the music for students.