The Pianist's Guide to Historic Improvisation

John J. Mortensen

Serves as the only historically-grounded improvisation method for professional and advanced amateur pianists
Shows the reader how to sit down at the instrument and make music using recent musicological research into partimenti and schemata
Provides an entry to improvisation for pianists with no prior improvisation experience

The Pianist's Guide to Historic Improvisation

John J. Mortensen

Description

Keyboard artists in the time of J.S. Bach were simultaneously performers, composers, and improvisers. By the twentieth century, however, the art of improvisation was all but lost. Today, vanishingly few classically-trained musicians can improvise with fluent, stylistic integrity. Many now question the system of training that leaves players dependent upon the printed page, and would welcome a new approach to musicianship that would enable modern performers to recapture the remarkable creative freedom of a bygone era.

The Pianist's Guide to Historic Improvisation opens a pathway of musical discovery as the reader learns to improvise with confidence and joy. Useful as either a college-level textbook or a guide for independent study, the book is eminently practical. Author John Mortensen explains even the most complex ideas in a lucid, conversational tone, accompanied by hundreds of musical examples. Mortensen pairs every concept with hands-on exercises for step-by-step practice of each skill. Professional-level virtuosity is not required; players of moderate skill can manage the material. Suitable for professionals, conservatory students, and avid amateurs, The Pianist's Guide leads to mastery of improvisational techniques at the Baroque keyboard.

The Pianist's Guide to Historic Improvisation

John J. Mortensen

The Pianist's Guide to Historic Improvisation

John J. Mortensen

Author Information

John Mortensen is a leader in the international revival of historic improvisation. A Steinway Artist, Fulbright Scholar, and professor of piano, he performs and teaches in the USA and overseas. He improvises entire concerts in historic styles.

The Pianist's Guide to Historic Improvisation

John J. Mortensen

Reviews and Awards

"This book fills an important niche in the world of piano and keyboard pedagogy. In each of the chapters Mortensen encourages the reader's creativity, simultaneously exposing the musical building blocks used by some of the great composers and allowing the reader to apply those same compositional techniques to improvising in a stylistically-appropriate way." -- Kate Boyd, Professor of Music at Butler University

"Any language study based solely on reading without speaking, would be incomplete. Similarly, the study of improvisation is indispensable for learning music. In this important book John Mortensen wonderfully demystifies the creative process and presents a clear and gradual method for learning to speak the language of J. S. Bach and his contemporaries. Highly recommended!" -- Noam Sivan, Professor of Piano Improvisation, Hochschule of Music and Performing Arts, Stuttgart; Formerly, Director of Improvisation, Curtis Institute of Music