A composer writes the notes; musicians play the notes. That's the current arrangement in the world of classical music, but it wasn't always so. Bach, Beethoven and Mozart were great composers, but ...

Some boys balk at taking classical piano lessons, but for keyboard master John Medeski those early days on the ebony and ivory inform his music today. Medeski, usually partnered with Chris Wood and ...

Improvisation is supposed to be spontaneous. So it's fitting that when Hilary Hahn did it for the first time, it was pretty much by accident. Hahn, 32, is a leading classical concert violinist, a ...

Improvisation was regarded as an important skill in Western music from its earliest days right through the 19th century. Pianist Gabriela Montero points out that J. S. Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, ...

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When most people think about musical improvisation, they imagine Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, inventing melodies in smoky jazz clubs. But the act of musical improv isn't a 20th century invention.

The Janoska Ensemble seeks to get classical music to lighten up. They loosen the bonds by extensively crossing genres to include jazz, Latin and other popular styles. And they strive to demonstrate ...

For aesthetic and economic reasons, musical bilingualism between jazz and classical music is not the rarity — or the scandal — it once was. But few can master and dazzle in both idioms like Brazilian ...

Helen Pridmore will stray from her usual improvisation-singing as she performs in Regina on Sunday with pianist Katherine Dowling. Katherine Dowling, left, plays piano while Helen Pridmore sings in ...

Improvisation is making a comeback in certain corners of the classical world. Early-music specialists honor the tradition of improvising on what... A composer writes the notes; musicians play the ...