Classical musicians today rarely improvise, despite historic evidence that this skill was once expected of all professional musicians. Still rarer is the practice of tonal (as opposed to completely ‘free’) ensemble improvisation in classical music. This is not surprising; the lack of opportunity for artistic autonomy and experimentation in classical music training has been highlighted in recent literature. Improvisation, however, has been identified as a vehicle for increased creativity, spontaneity, expressivity and engagement with audience. Group playing in particular has been recognised as a highly successful context in which to develop improvisational skills.
My research explores the practice of (mainly) tonal group improvisation, with my trio of classical musicians (flute, soprano and piano) serving as a case study. We have rehearsed and delivered improvised performances over the course of several months, using action research as a framework to hone our skills. Drawing on the teaching methods of Prof. David Dolan, our performances have included improvisations on Mozart’s lied ‘Das Veilchen’, John Corigliano’s ‘Salley Gardens’, free tonal improvisations, and use of a Rondo structure for a range of stylistic tonal and tonally free improvisations.
I have begun thematic analysis on transcriptions of rehearsal reflections, post-performance reflections, and conversations prompted by video-recall. Whilst my original research questions were concerned with developmental processes, preparation for performance, performer evaluation and expressivity, a strong additional theme has emerged: improvisation has become a meaningful way for us, professional musicians in our late twenties to early thirties, to escape from the ‘musical dictatorship’ of our training. I will discuss this and other themes that have emerged in initial data analysis, including anxiety/criticism, communication, leadership, establishing and breaking rules, our perception and evaluation and challenging ‘correct’ interpretation of repertoire. Interview transcript and video excerpts of our performances will illustrate these points.
My research thus far suggests that group improvisation could be one way of nurturing artistic leadership and musical identity, developing greater musical freedom, challenging the almost exclusive emphasis on ‘correct’ interpretation and technique in conservatoires and to move beyond the confines of strictly-controlled performances of canonised repertoire.