Improvisation and instrumental diminution from the 16th Century to jazz music, First-level Academic Diploma – Conservatory “A. Scontrino” of Trapani
Location: Trapani
Department: Keyboard and percussion instruments
Teaching language of the course: Italian, English
Course delivered online: Yes
Link to the course: http://www.constp.it/astronio-claudio
Music has always moved through unwritten canons and improvisation, in various eras and in various styles, has been a fundamental cultural and technical background for musical expression. Improvisational patterns were handed down in antiquity and are still handed down by heart in popular traditions that are still alive and productive, such as Irish folk music. The same happened for the music of American, Indian, Arabic and other minor cultures.
The 1500s marked a turning point in improvisation with the emancipation of instrumental music from vocal music: between the end of The 1500s and the beginning of the 1600s, numerous treatises were written, mainly in Italy, which explained how to improvise and decrease “With every sort of instruments” but in general in Europe, testifying to the advent of a new style, a new way of playing that has characterized two centuries of cultured music: the baroque. In the 1700s improvisation reached paroxysm: the pieces were totally transformed by the performer who was thus able to demonstrate his instrumental ability. This happened for violinists, other string instruments, harpsichord, flute, oboe and many others. Instrumental mannerism made improvisation the main instrument of expressiveness of the time. The 1800s experienced an era of strong use of structural improvisation, less linked to the composition itself: great pianists such as Chopin and Liszt improvised entire pieces without building on already written compositions. But a little later, at least in cultured music, any improvised practice was put aside in favour of the compositional structure.
Jazz will make us relive a second Baroque and present enormous and clear analogies with instrumental music of 1600s and 1700s. This workshop will be based on the history of improvisation described above, but put into practice with the instruments: it involves the study and reading of treatises, listening to patterns common to various styles and collective practice.