Improvisation has always been at the heart of music-making, but its history reaches much further back than many musicians realize.
COURSE OFFERED SPRING 2027
Study Levels: Undergraduate
Faculty: Dr Caroline Gill
Contact: caroline.gill@rcm.ac.uk
Royal College of Music (London)
Improvisation before 1600
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course explores the rich traditions of improvisation in Western music before 1600, uncovering practices that shaped musical culture long before the emergence of the modern concert tradition. Focusing particularly on early Italian musical and philosophical traditions, students will investigate how improvisation functioned as a tool for creativity, communication, learning, and performance.
By connecting historical practices with contemporary artistic questions, the course encourages students to rethink assumptions about improvisation and discover ideas that can enrich their own creative work today. Through a combination of historical study, critical discussion, and practical reflection, participants will encounter new perspectives on spontaneity, composition, performance, and artistic identity.
A fascinating course for improvisers, performers, composers, and anyone interested in the deeper roots of musical creativity.
Credits: 2 ECTS / 2 US Credits
Maximum Participants: 25 students
Course Format:
- 4 live online seminars
- 6 asynchronous learning units
Topics Include :
Early improvisation practices, Renaissance music, Italian musical culture, performance traditions, composition, critical approaches to improvisation.