Improvisation in classical music

Improvisation is a respected part of the art of music and it can be safely stated that performing music based on improvisational imagination was the earliest form of human musical expression. Performing an original work is certainly a challenging and technical thing, but the art of improvisation goes even further. Indeed, not every performer is capable of making music at a given moment in a given place. It requires not only great performance practice and a wide range in the field of composition. A prerequisite for improvisation is an extraordinarily large musical imagination and practical readiness. The capacity for immediate musical expression in the sense of creating a more or less complete musical work has always been a highly valued and respected quantity.

In a general sense, improvisation can be considered any human activity without proper prior preparation, i.e. based on the momentary flow of thoughts and ideas. We encounter it across all disciplines. However, it is typical of art. In music, its characteristic feature is originality and uniqueness, since musical improvisation is not usually written down exactly in music notation. There are countless ways and techniques of improvisation, as it is a completely individual activity. One can encounter improvised performances not only in music, but also in acting, painting or dance.

The fascinating thing about improvisation is its fleeting nature. In no art is there anything as subtle and time-limited as improvised music. It sounds for a time, and when it fades, it's irretrievably gone. The artist is usually unable to repeat it in the same form, unlike the composer, who writes down his ideas piece by piece and goes through the artisanal process of composing, where he can change or delete sections several times. The improviser also composes, but in real time. 

Improvisation teaches us to be in the here and now.

Lukáš Petřvalský, shortened