Improvisation Of Western Music Before 1811:An Exploration Of Its Historical Changes,Derivation And Significance

The treatise seeks the clue to the development in improvisation by 1811,the yearBeethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto premiered.As can be seen from the article,the improvisation was initially the primary form of music in which the creation and the performance were combined and gradually became a part of the improvisation in performance beyond the music books(music scores)since the advent of notation.The lineaments of musical creation has been renovated by the interaction with improvisation and written notation since the melodic improvisation basing on lyrics,followed by the improvisation of polyphony and the nature of the existing tunes along with the improvisation of instrumental which was based on the original version of chorus within the period from Medieval to Renaissance and there are also the filling with improvisational harmony in Figured Bass and the improvisational ornaments of melodies in solo involved bravura as well as the development of melodic theme depending on the techniques of composition in the improvisational of instrumental music in the Baroque.The composers of Baroque inspired by humanism had been so enthusiastic in their composing unprecedentedly that reached a peak of music creation though the systematic composition and techniques of performance were relatively backward.It was increasingly that the compositional techniques and notation became mature and more precise and that the composers’ consciousness of independence were awakened by the Enlightenment in the classical period,they strived to keep their music in shape in the process of performance and spreading,leaving less and less opportunities for performer to improvise that resulted in a decline in improvisation.The motive of improvisation in music roots from human’s instinct to create “beauty” which is a part of varieties of cultural and artistic creation with human beings from primitive to civilized society.The elements of instantaneity and bravura in improvisation bring the positive interaction which has driving the development of improvisation in self-demand,the interest of music and on-the-spot mood between musicians and audiences.With the historical process of music improvisation,we can realize that it’s the necessary practical accumulation of the systematic development in compositions and techniques of performance.The research not only enables us to catch a glimpse of a more complete and dynamic process of musical creation but to make a more comprehensive and three-dimensional cognition of the history of Western music for us.