Shackled Freedom, Growth within Constraints

Improvising Nineteenth-Century Monothematic Fantasias for Wind Players

Abstract

This paper explores the pedagogical and aesthetic potential of monothematic fantasia improvisation for nineteenth-century wind players — a practice sparsely documented but richly suggestive. Drawing on Carl Czerny’s Anleitung zum Fantasieren as a theoretical framework, it examines how a single theme can serve as the generative seed for an entire fantasia through techniques of variation, transformation, and formal manipulation. Selected didactic repertoire reveals structures and gestures that align with Czerny’s examples. The study focuses on theme transformation and the tension between standard formal models, their disruption and improvisatory tropes, employing William E. Caplin’s theory of formal functions to analyse compositional deviations that evoke spontaneous invention. By treating these works as both compositional artefacts and pedagogical tools, the paper proposes a method for modern performers to cultivate improvisational fluency through constraint.

https://www.lim.it/it/chigiana/7110-chigiana-iii-7-lv-9788855435222.html