Definition of improvisation Improvisation

/ɪˌmpɹɑvɪzejˈʃʌn/ - [impravizeyshun] - im•prov•i•sa•tion

We found 12 definitions of improvisation from 6 different sources.

What does improvisation mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: improvisations
improvisation - an unplanned expedient
		temporary expedient
		expedient a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one
improvisation - a creation spoken or written or composed extemporaneously (without prior preparation)
		creation (theology) God's act of bringing the universe into existence
improvisation - a performance given extempore without planning or preparation
		extemporization, extemporisation
		performance any recognized accomplishment; "they admired his performance under stress"; "when Roger Maris powered four home runs in one game his performance merits awe"

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Wiktionary

improvisation (Noun)
The act or art of composing and rendering music, poetry, and the like, extemporaneously; as, improvisation on the organ.
improvisation (Noun)
That which is improvised; an impromptu.
improvisation (Noun)
Musical technique, characteristic of blues music.
improvisation (Noun)
The act of improvising, acting or going about something without planning ahead.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

improvisation (n.)
The act or art of composing and rendering music, poetry, and the like, extemporaneously; as, improvisation on the organ.
improvisation (n.)
That which is improvised; an impromptu.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

improvisation
The act of inventing all or part of a process while it is being performed.

Wikipedia

Improvisation in music is the art of playing an instrument (or singing) in which the musician or musicians make up the music as they play. Improvising is inventing at the same time as one does something. Some musicians only play music when they have written music in front of them, but it can be great fun to improvise music. It is a way of composing. Improvisation is common during a jam session.

In Baroque times all musicians were taught to improvise because composers often did not bother to write all the notes down. Musicians would have improvised lots of ornaments, and even whole sections.

Many great composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Liszt were famous for their keyboard improvisations.

Organists are often expected to improvise during a service. In this way they can fill in gaps in the service when there would otherwise be silence, they can make a smooth link between one piece of music and the next, and they can create the right atmosphere. In Baroque times in the Lutheran church organists would improvise a chorale prelude. This was a piece of music which uses the melody of the chorale (hymn) that the congregation sang. Bach was one of many composers who wrote many of his chorale preludes down. In more recent times some famous concert organists often finish an organ recital by playing an improvisation. This might be quite a long piece with several linked movements, finishing with a fugue. Somebody may give them th