Musical Improvisation and Open Forms in the Age of Beethoven

Improvisation was a crucial aspect of musical life in Europe from the late 18th century to the mid-19th. Composers devoted themselves to this practice while formulating the musical ideas found at the core of their published works; improvisation was linked to composition itself. The full extent of this can be inferred from private documents and reviews of concerts, while these texts inform us that composers often performed in public as improvisers and interpreters of pieces. Improvisations presented were distinguished by a remarkable degree of structural organisation and complexity, indicating abilities in composition and familiarity with rules for improvising outlined by theoreticians. _x005F_x000D_