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
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.ThanksTheodopolis