Colloque 2024 - Improvisation in all its forms

The question of improvisation has sparked debate within the international Early Music community for many years. While the importance of improvisation is widely acknowledged, its practical application remains more elusive. This colloquium will showcase the teaching methods developed on this topic within the Early Music Department at CrB, and propose potential avenues for future development. Presentations and workshops will be led by the department's faculty, alongside two renowned figures in the field of improvisation, Felix Verry (FR) and Robert Debree (NL).

The subject of improvisation raises several practical questions, which the Department will address in closed-door sessions: only the conference day on Monday, the 21st, from 9:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., will be open to the public..

The day's program includes:

9:15 a.m.: Presentation and opening of the conference by Olivia Wahnon de Oliveira, Director of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

9:30 a.m.: Lecture by Marc Vanscheeuwijck, director of the annual colloquium of the Early Music Department

Improvisation in All Its Forms: History and Context (1400-1800)
For over 20 years, improvisation in all its forms has been making a resurgence in the world of 17th- and 18th-century music. While musicians specializing in medieval music had already recognized the crucial role of improvisation for the authentic performance of their repertoires by the 1960s, it wasn’t until the revival of book-singing and Neapolitan partimento that improvisation and improvised ornamentation reclaimed their place in the practice and teaching of modern-period music (1500-1800). In this talk, I will provide an overview of the practices and contexts of improvisation in music history, from the late Middle Ages to the Romantic era. I will explore the driving forces behind these practices, the challenges they faced, and how we can reintegrate them into our approach to early music today.

11:10 a.m.: lecture by Benoît Laurent, professor of Ornamentation and Improvisation in the Early Music Department

The Contribution of Historical Improvisation Practices for Performers of Music from 1600-1800
In the world of early music, many musicians are currently reflecting on the role that improvisation can or should play in their practice. In this session, I will explore key questions surrounding these practices. First, what exactly is "historically informed" improvisation, and why should we improvise within this conceptual framework? What are the technical challenges, and what obstacles might arise? These considerations will lead us to a central issue: how can we learn and internalize an ancient musical "language"? Lastly, I will address the pedagogical challenges and practical applications of these practices.

1:30 p.m.: Lectures and workshops presented by faculty from the Department.