Friday, May 9, 2014

Improvisation Is...

"Improvisation is not an introspective art, nor is it a vague one. It is designed for an audience, and its starting-point is that audience’s expectations, which include the current conventions of musical form.”

 Nicholas Temperley on Chopin

2 comments:

  1. He says it in a "cool" way, but improvisation which is "designed" is an oxymoron. Isn't it?

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    1. I suppose the idea is that while the process or the product of improvisation is not designed (to a varying extent), the fact of choosing to improvise does itself always have a context and a purpose. 

      Thanks, Lena. 

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