'Stravaganze': the presentation of 17th-century improvisation to a 21st-century audience

Over the last fifty years the 'early music' movement has been responsible for broadening the field of classical music by resurrecting repertoires which sometimes have not been heard for hundreds for years, enabled by the reconstruction of instruments from earlier times for which this music was composed. Now a part of mainstream music-making, 'historically-informed performance' grows ever more sophisticated, but it has only just begun to seriously embrace a crucial element of performance from the past - that of improvisation.

The existence of strong oral traditions and the limitations of music printing meant that some of pre-classical music was written down in simple skeletal frameworks which were embellished by performers with well-honed improvisation skills. Improvisation treatises from this time document the way instrumentalists and singers learned their craft, with incremental exercises for practise and written-out examples of extemporisation for didactic purposes. Today, early music performers are more inclined to play those written-out examples than to improvise their own - comparable to a jazz musician playing a transcribed solo of another artist in a concert!

Improvisation provided a way for musicians to put their personal stamp on music and was a vital part of their craft. It has been my objective throughout my AHRC Fellowship in the Creative and Performing Arts to promote more extemporisation in early music performances and bring the thrill of early improvisation to audiences, especially in the classical music sphere. To this end, with the support of an AHRC Research Grant, I established a 17th-century style improvising ensemble, The Division Lobby, to bring early improvisation to the general public.

As part of my research into extemporisation in 17th-century Italy, I have been looking at evidence in musical treatises and manuscripts which gives clues as to how performers improvised. Manuscript sources can be particularly interesting because they are so practical, and they can reveal interesting details about how music was performed. They are often books used by students in their music lessons or notebooks in which a composer might have been working out a composition. Recently such a 'working notebook' from 17th-century Italy came up for auction at Sotheby's which contained fascinating evidence in my research area about how people ornamented music, improvised on melodic lines, and extemporized accompaniments from a single bass line on chordal instruments, the art of basso continuo. The evidence in this manuscript supported many of my research findings from other sources, and also provided some extraordinary new evidence, particularly concerning my instrument, a long-necked lute called the chitarrone.

I aim to demonstrate my discoveries practically by recording three CDs highlighting different areas of early improvisation practice. The first will trace the development of basso continuo through the parallel development of solo song in 16th- and 17th-century Italy. A chordal instrument player would extemporise an accompaniment over a single bass line with a numerical code which suggested the harmonies, a technique not dissimilar to what a jazz pianist or guitarist might do.

The second CD will highlight improvisation on the chitarrone, which will include solos with added ornamentation, improvised pieces, and ensemble pieces which demonstrate the instrument's role as a melodic bass.

A third CD with the The Division Lobby will showcase different sorts of solo and ensemble improvisation with lute and chitarrone, violins, 'cornetti', harpsichords, organ, and a singer.

These CDs will stimulate interest in the art of improvisation, bring it to a wider audience, and encourage further extemporised performances. They will further understanding of the art and benefit colleagues, students, amateurs, and improvisors from other musical traditions.

My experiences of practical research dissemination in concerts, workshops, and newspaper and radio interviews have shown me just how effective it is to impart such information in informal, non-academic situations. The general public welcomes and benefits greatly from the insights gained from experts who can explain even the most complex subjects in plain, layman's language. This benefits the experts as well - by fostering communication with their audience they build bridges which enhance the understanding and advancement of their work.

With my three proposed CDs showcasing various types of 17th-century improvisation I can demonstrate my research findings to a wide international audience including the general public, professional and amateur musicians (particularly improvisers) from all musical traditions, researchers, and students.

The practical application of my research will be illustrated through the performances of all the participants in this project, and CD booklets and website content for internet downloads. Busy free-lance colleagues who often cannot afford the time to survey the available information on early improvisation techniques and basso continuo will find the specialist information I shall impart through these CDs particularly useful to their work.

These CDs will be of great benefit to the ever-growing network of amateur early musicians who are hungry for opportunities to hear demonstrations of early improvisation and gain instruction from them. Early music societies around the globe, and lute societies in particular, will be eager to hear them and report on my findings through their publications.

My undergraduate students at the University of Birmingham, including students of subjects other than music, will find the practical illustration of my research on these CDs very beneficial to their studies. The project will also impact on students of the project's participants at the following institutions: the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, University of Birmingham's CEMPR, Newcastle University, Southampton University, Hamburg's Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, and Trinity College of Music.

Participants in early improvisation and basso continuo workshops and observers of open rehearsals related to this project will find useful information on the CDs for the enhancement of their study and understanding of 17th-century music.

Through my workshops and lecture/demonstrations I often encounter improvisers from other musical traditions who want to know more about my research and ask where they can hear my recordings of early extemporization. Collaboration with Linn Records will guarantee global distribution of my CDs through major retailers and website downloads, thus facilitating wide dissemination of my work.

The producers of BBC Radio 3's 'Early Music Show' are interested in a programme on the development of basso continuo accompaniment and early monody which would be of great interest to singers and accompanists and would provide a major opportunity for impact to the wider community in the UK and internationally through its 'Listen Again' service.