Improvising as a Lost Art

Improvisation in music means composing something new which has not been notated, something quite literally "un-foreseen". Any amateur musician in the 18th century could improvise, but as methodologies for music teaching developed in the 19th century, reading and playing complicated scores became the focus of the teacher's attention, to the extent of crowding out analysis of how music was constructed and how a student might put together a piece on his or her own. Reinforced …

…in this last half century the huge popularity of Jazz has given a seal of approval to the word "Improv.". Jazz performers have shown that it is possible to work without a written score, and many feel that Jazz musicians are the only real improvisers of our world. At the same time other kinds of improvisation, ranging from Classical to "new music" experimental, attract little attention from either instrumental performers or the musical listening public.