本課程探討即興演奏 (improvisation) 在古典、浪漫時期器樂曲目中扮演的角色。主要議題包括即興演奏在西方音樂理論與演奏傳統 (performance practice)中的地位，及其如何反映當時文化上特定的美學觀。本課程分三部份：1. 音樂典籍中有關即興演奏的論述；2. Cadenza； 3. 其它藝術領域中的即興（如詩文、戲劇）。
This course explores improvisation in Western art music in the Classical and Romantic periods. Though its meaning and function have varied throughout history, improvisation in Western art music is a concept and practice closely associated with the performer and his or her freedom within the confines of composed music. How can we approach it from a theoretical perspective? How do performance practice, individual taste, and the evolving notion of virtuosity in each period in music history contribute to its meaning? Does its nature vary from one instrumental genre to another? How are its application and reception situated in a larger cultural context?
The course is divided into three parts. In Part I, we will discuss improvisation in Western and non-Western music, then proceed to examine historical accounts in treatises and pedagogical manuals of the Classical period. In Part II, we will discuss three case studies of one form of improvisation that was popular during the Classical and Romantic periods: cadenza. We will examine cadenzas for a selection of concerti by Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, written by the composers themselves and by renowned virtuosi. A critical assessment of different cadenzas for the same works by different artists will show the impact of personal taste, stylistic transition, and each instrument’s technical potential. In Part III, we will explore the implications of improvisation beyond the confines of music, e.g., improvisation in medieval and Renaissance poetry and drama. We will also discuss the reception and social implications of improvisation.This course explores the role of improvisation in instrumental music from the classical and romantic periods. Key topics include the place of improvisation in Western music theory and performance practice, and how it reflects the culturally specific aesthetics of the time. This course is divided into three parts: 1. Discussion of improvisation in music classics; 2. Cadenza; 3. Improvisation in other artistic fields (such as poetry, drama).
This course explores improvisation in Western art music in the Classical and Romantic periods. Though its meaning and function have varied throughout history, improvisation in Western art music is a concept and practice closely associated with the performer and his or her freedom within the confines of composed music. How can we approach it from a theoretical perspective? How do performance practice, individual taste, and the evolving notion of virtuosity in each period in music history contribute to its meaning? Does its nature vary from one instrumental genre to another? How are its application and reception situated in a larger cultural context?
The course is divided into three parts. In Part I, we will discuss improvisation in Western and non-Western music, then proceed to examine historical accounts in treatises and pedagogical manuals of the Classical period. In Part II, we will discuss three case studies of one form of improvisation that was popular during the Classical and Romantic periods: cadenza. We will examine cadenzas for a selection of concerti by Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, written by the composers themselves and by renowned virtuosi. A critical assessment of different cadenzas for the same works by different artists will show the impact of personal taste, stylistic transition, and each instrument's technical potential. In Part III, we will explore the implications of improvisation beyond the confines of music, e.g., improvisation in medieval and Renaissance poetry and drama. We will also discuss the reception and social implications of improvisation.
Bach, C. P. E. Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments. Trans. William
Mitchell. New York: W. W. Norton, 1949.
Badura-Skoda, Eva. “On Improvised Embellishments and Cadenzas in Mozart's Piano
Concertos.” Mozart's Piano Concertos: Text, Context, Interpretation. Ed. Neal Zaslaw. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1996. 365-371.
Blum, Stephen. “Recognizing Improvisation.” In the Course of Performance: Studies in
the World of Musical Improvisation. Ed. Bruno Nettl and Melinda Russell. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. 27-46.
Bribitzer-Stull, Matthew. “The Cadenza as Parenthesis: An Analytic Approach.”
Journal of Music Theory 50/2 (2006): 211-251.
Cobussen, Marcel. “Improvisation: Between the Musical and the Social.” Dutch
Journal of Music Theory 13/1 (2008): 48-54.
Czerny, Carl. A Systematic Introduction to Improvisation on the Pianoforte: op. 200.
Trans. Alice Mitchell. New York: Longman, 1983.
Drabkin, William. “An Interpretation of Musical Dreams: Towards a Theory of the
Mozart Piano Concerto Cadenza.” Wolfgang Amade Mozart: Essays on His Life and His Music. Ed. S. Sadie. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996. 160–77.
Goertzen, Valerie Woodring. “Setting the Stage: Clara Schumann's Preludes.” In the
Course of Performance: Studies in the World of Musical Improvisation. Ed. Bruno Nettl and Melinda Russell. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. 237-260.
Hulse, Brian. “Improvisation as an Analytic Category.” Dutch Journal of Music Theory
13/1 (2008): 9-15.
Kinderman, William. “Improvisation in Beethoven’s Creative Process.” Musical
Improvisation: Art, Education, and Society. Ed. Gabriel Solis and Bruno Nettl. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2009. 296-312.
Kramer, Richard. “Cadenza contra Text: Mozart in Beethoven’s Hands.” 19th-Century
Music 15/2 (1991): 116-131.
Nettl, Bruno. “Thoughts on Improvisation: A Comparative Approach.” The Musical
Quarterly 60/1 (Jan, 1974): 1-19.
Wolff, Christoph. “Ca
Bach, C. P. E. Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments. Trans. William
Mitchell. New York: W. W. Norton, 1949.
Badura-Skoda, Eva. “On Improvised Embellishments and Cadenzas in Mozart's Piano
Concertos." Mozart's Piano Concertos: Text, Context, Interpretation. Ed. Neal Zaslaw. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1996. 365-371.
Blum, Stephen. “Recognizing Improvisation.” In the Course of Performance: Studies in
the World of Musical Improvisation. Ed. Bruno Nettl and Melinda Russell. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. 27-46.
Bribitzer-Stull, Matthew. “The Cadenza as Parenthesis: An Analytic Approach.”
Journal of Music Theory 50/2 (2006): 211-251.
Cobussen, Marcel. “Improvisation: Between the Musical and the Social.” Dutch
Journal of Music Theory 13/1 (2008): 48-54.
Czerny, Carl. A Systematic Introduction to Improvisation on the Pianoforte: op. 200.
Trans. Alice Mitchell. New York: Longman, 1983.
Drabkin, William. “An Interpretation of Musical Dreams: Towards a Theory of the
Mozart Piano Concerto Cadenza." Wolfgang Amade Mozart: Essays on His Life and His Music. Ed. S. Sadie. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996. 160–77.
Goertzen, Valerie Woodring. “Setting the Stage: Clara Schumann's Preludes.” In the
Course of Performance: Studies in the World of Musical Improvisation. Ed. Bruno Nettl and Melinda Russell. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. 237-260.
Hulse, Brian. “Improvisation as an Analytic Category.” Dutch Journal of Music Theory
13/1 (2008): 9-15.
Kinderman, William. “Improvisation in Beethoven’s Creative Process.” Musical
Improvisation: Art, Education, and Society. Ed. Gabriel Solis and Bruno Nettl. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2009. 296-312.
Kramer, Richard. “Cadenza contra Text: Mozart in Beethoven’s Hands.” 19th-Century
Music 15/2 (1991): 116-131.
Nettl, Bruno. “Thoughts on Improvisation: A Comparative Approach.” The Musical
Quarterly 60/1 (Jan, 1974): 1-19.
Wolff, Christoph. “Ca
| 評分項目 Grading Method | 配分比例 Grading percentage | 說明 Description |
|---|---|---|
| 課堂參與Attendance & participation課堂參與Attendance & participation Attendance & participation |
30 | |
| 期中報告 Midterm report期中報告 Midterm report Midterm report Midterm report |
20 | |
| 期末報告term project期末報告term project term project final report |
50 |
