Improvisation

Musical improvisation is synonymous with the jazz style and very prevalent in Cool Jazz. Improvisation is also evident in Baroque music however as Bailey suggests, “The world of classical music provides an unlikely setting for improvisation."[1] In Miles Davis' "So What" the composition's structure and form makes it clear that improvisation is an integral part of the work.  The song begins and ends with a 32 bar chorus where a written melody is played however the rest of the song is made up of various improvisations. As can be seen in Miles Davis' recording on his album 'Birth of Cool' The written lines in the composition comprise only a small part of the song and the complexity of the of the music is far greater and developed in the improvise sections.

In the written chorus a 2 bar phrase is used and repeated with some  harmonization in the horn section to outline the chord structure.

 

Davis' composition gained huge popularity and from the mid-1950 into the seventies he ruled jazz.[1] throughout With simply a 4 bar motif the development of the song with improvisation is clearly the basis of its appeal and acclaim.

Improvisation played an important role throughout the early history of  Baroque music.[2] The accompaniment in Baroque music both in opera and was written with a figured bass which was intended to be improvised over.[3]The use of improvised ornamentation was also widespread in secular and sacred music.[4] As Lionel Salter suggests, “music as written down was only a kind of memory jogger,” as composers expected to perform their works they would allow the full extent of their ideas come out in their improvisation.[5]

The continuo had to provide rhythmic spur and its role extended well beyond filling out the harmony.[6] Bailey classifies the improvisation in Baroque music into two groups: embellishments with a single unchanging execution such as trills and other ornaments or improvisation on the melody with the use of passaggi (scalar patterns), arpeggios and imitation.[7] 

Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 also relies on improvisation. In the first movement Allegro Bach's skill as a keyboard player is demonstrated in the harpsichord solo. As in jazz the soloist is the focus of the piece away from the tutti sections.[8] The piece also includes flute and violin soloists. These instruments present short melodic ideas with imitation between the two which can be seen in the beginning of the the third movement.

This reflects a level of communication between performers also seen in jazz music. In Baroque music cadenzas, ornamental figures and the use of figured bass also allow performers some degree of personalisation and improvisation from the composers basic instructions.[9] For example in the first movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 a long cadenza is featured by the Harpsichord:

The similarities in improvisation and soloists in both music styles can be compared through an analysis of the solo sections. 

Davis' solo is centered around a D minor pentatonic scale but also with uses D and E flat Dorian (in concert pitch) over the simple two chord D minor 7 and E flat minor 7 chord progression. He includes 9th and 11th notes of these chords occasionally within the solo. The chord progression allows Davis to improvise for long periods of time using one scale. This is closer to Baroque improvisation with the use of scalar patterns rather than following a changing chord chart.[11]  

Both in Baroque and Cool Jazz compositions improvisation plays a significant role. Cool Jazz compositions are centered around improvisation by solo instruments while Baroque improvisation occurs predominantly in the continuo section and sometimes through more subtle methods such as the use of embellishments. Jacques Charpemtier argues that with the appearance of fully written out music and scores after the Baroque period, “a musical work was no longer strictly musical,” compared to the compositions utilising improvisation in Baroque and Cool Jazz styles.

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[1] Collier, J.L., 1978, The Making of Jazz, Dell Publishing, New York, p.61

[2] Bailey, D., 1993, Improvisation: its nature and practice in music, Da Capo Press, UK, p. 108

[3] ibid

[4] ibid, p. 110

[5] ibid

[6] ibid, p.111

[7] ibid, p. 112

[8]http://www.stevekhan.com/sowhata.htm, Accessed 10/06/2011

[9]http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics2/brandenburg.htm, Accessed 9/06/2011

[10]Bailey, D., 1993, Improvisation: its nature and practice in music, Da Capo Press, UK, p. 113

[11] ibid