Fantasising about the past: a baroque violinist’s guide to improvising fantasias

Abstract

The fantasia gained prominence during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. While
frequently explored as a compositional form, Kollmann argued that the ‘greatest players’
‘extemporised’ fantasies, and Rousseau stressed that a fantasy ‘differs from the rest only that it is
invented in its execution and that it has no longer existence as soon as it is finished’. In modern
performance, improvised baroque fantasias are largely restricted to keyboardists; on other
instruments these are extremely rare. There are only a few practical guides to baroque
improvisation, such as by Mortensen and Dolan, and these largely focus on the keyboard, providing
an overview. Choosing instead to spotlight on the violin and seeking to help bridge the gap between
scholarly literature and practical improvisation, this study draws on historical sources, practice,
analysis and contemporary pedagogical literature to expand our historical knowledge of the
improvised fantasia and provide practical guidance for recreating improvised examples today. This
thesis is accompanied by two concerts including fantasias by Telemann, Matteis senior and Matteis
junior alongside stylistic compositions and improvisations by the author. This practical element
presents the findings of this research, provides insights into the process and demonstrates the
feasibility of the suggested approach.

Metadata

Supervisors:	Cohen, Jennifer and Seymour, Peter
Keywords:	improvisation; baroque music; violin; fantasia; performance
Awarding institution:	University of York
Academic Units:	The University of York > School of Arts and Creative Technologies (York)
Depositing User:	Miss Nina Kümin
Date Deposited:	15 Apr 2024 08:38
Last Modified:	15 Apr 2024 08:38
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID):	oai:etheses.whiterose.ac.uk:34635

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Fantasising about the past: a baroque violinist’s guide to improvising fantasias

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