The role of improvisation in Chopin’s compositional process: Selected excerpts from the piano concertos

Abstract

Improvisation was a central element of Chopin’s creative activity, a fact already noted by early researchers of his life and work. While the subject reappeared in twentieth-century scholarship, the past thirty years have seen a marked growth of interest in improvisation—particularly in relation to Chopin’s music. Recent publications that have added valuable perspectives to this discussion include: Valerie Woodring Goertzen (1996), Kenneth Hamilton (2007), and Dana Gooley (2018). The topic has also been examined in major scholarly gatherings, such as: Jahreskongress Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie, the conference Chopin and His World, and The International Musicological Conference Baroque Traditions in the Music of the Romantics in the First Half of the 19th Century. A review of the literature reveals that, while both Chopin’s improvisational practice as a general concept and Chopin’s piano concertos have been extensively studied, no research has systematically examined how improvisation shaped the compositional process of the concertos themselves. Over 120 scholarly works address “Chopin and improvisation” as a theme, with John Rink’s long-term research—beginning with his dissertation The Evolution of Chopin’s ‘Structural Style’ and Its Relation to Improvisation (1989)—being particularly influential. Existing scholarship primarily focuses on genres traditionally associated with improvisation, such as preludes, impromptus, fantasies, and the Polonaise-Fantaisie, as well as the improvisatory character of nocturnes and mazurkas. Ballades and études are less frequently discussed in this context. Within the broader topic of Chopin and improvisation, six main areas of research can be identified: improvisation as an integral aspect of salon culture, Chopin as a pianist and improviser, Chopin’s Stammbuch entries, improvisation from the perspective of musical analysis, Romantic improvisation in the context of Baroque traditions, Chopin and Romantic improvisation traditions as inspiration for jazz. To date, studies have tended to treat improvisation in Chopin’s work and his piano concertos as separate—though related—subjects. The role of improvisation specifically within the concertos has not been systematically examined. This study aims to address this gap by outlining the function of improvisation in Chopin’s compositional process and identifying traces of it in the piano concertos, with particular attention to improvisation of vocal origin.