best improvisor

[Kapellmeister27]

who of the great composer-pianists of teh past (e.g. bach, mozart, beethoven, liszt, chopin etc.) do you think would win in an improvising contest and why?

[fnork]

umm... noone has actually heard them improvise so it's impossible to answer the question anyway.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

History claims that Beethoven was considered one of the best. He was able to move people to tears with his improvisations.

One amazing modern improviser would be Keith Jarrett (Jazz). His playing is phenomenal.

[xvimbi]

History claims that Beethoven was considered one of the best. He was able to move people to tears with his improvisations.

I wonder if that's a good criterion. I used to "move" my teacher to tears with my playing. For different reasons, though

[pianiststrongbad]

Well, in the past there use to be piano improvisation contests.  For instance there was a famous one between Clementi and Mozart.  Beethoven was also in several and won to my knowledge.  From what I understand, I would say Liszt would be the best at this, since his music tends to be very difficult.  I am currently reading Walker's biography of him and he states in several occassions that people were just amazed at how well he improvised.  As far as Jazz goes, Art Tatum is the best in my opinion.

[Brian Healey]

I read somewhere that Beethoven and Hummel engaged in frequent cutting contests (one on one competition). I would imagine these involved improvisation.  I guess I would have to agree with a few other people and say Liszt as the best of all time, but I really have little to base that on. I agree with the previous poster as well, Art Tatum was certainly one of the best improvisors ever, speaking of either classical or jazz.


This is our concern, Dude,
Bri

[donjuan]

Cziffra was one of the great improvisors and we have recordings of him doing so as well as personal accounts of him improvising in bars and such..

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

I wonder if that's a good criterion. I used to "move" my teacher to tears with my playing. For different reasons, though

'Tis true. Every once in awhile I might even move an entire audience to tears (especially while performing the Gaspard de la Nuit at three times the speed)! Apparently, some even leave the room and ask for a refund because my playing 'moved' them so! It's times like those that really tell you you're a great pianist.....

I heard Sorabji often moved people to tears too! 

[etudes]

Cziffra Volodos Hamelin

[pianonut]

Standard answer, but Mozart was pretty good.  I think all really great composers just played what they heard in their head.  they had a talent for what we need written in (ie cadenzas).  I'm still looking for the cadenza of the piano concerto k467.  i guess beethoven wrote one (and one other composer) and followed some general priciples that mozart had implied by the others.

[jlh]

Beethoven was a master of improvisation and was said to have even been able to improvise fugues (regularly won contests in improvisation.) Chopin and Liszt were also known for their improvisatory skills.  Chopin once got a bit cross with Liszt when he started improvising on one of his pieces...

[theodopolis]

I can't understand how Bach hasn't been mentioned.
If you consider that almost every piece of organ and harpsichord/keyboard music he wrote (including the fugues)  is an improvisation he wrote down.
To be an organist in Baroque Europe, the ablitity to improvise a fugue was the standard prerequisite for a church position.

It sends shivers down my spine just imagining Bach sitting in front of a Steinway Model-D and given free rein.

Thanks
Theodopolis

[aquariuswb]

Art Tatum, hands down! I also ditto the Keith Jarrett mention.

Classical composers? I guess we can only speculate.

[jlh]

I can't understand how Bach hasn't been mentioned.
If you consider that almost every piece of organ and harpsichord/keyboard music he wrote (including the fugues)  is an improvisation he wrote down.
To be an organist in Baroque Europe, the ablitity to improvise a fugue was the standard prerequisite for a church position.

It sends shivers down my spine just imagining Bach sitting in front of a Steinway Model-D and given free rein.

Thanks
Theodopolis

I completely agree.  I heard once that he improvised his own preludes as a means to test the capabilities and sound of an organ before playing the accompanying fugues.