The Importance of Improvisation in Music History When one thinks of jazz, one's mind should immediately spring to 'improvisation.' It is a true characteristic of the jazz art form, but it truly is a rarity when seen in a historical context. Improvisation has been an integral part of music since the very beginning of music, and it has been a very important element in Western Classical music for most of the past 1000 years. The …showed first 75 words of 805 total…

…showed last 75 words of 805 total…introduced. Rap has managed to retain a certain sense of improvisation through its loose, almost random lyrics in many instances. 'Freestyle' rap follows a constant beat and allows the performer to improvise rhymes over the constant. This emotes in the listener a sense of urgency and liveliness, which keeps the medium fresh. While this style certainly does not appeal to everyone, in 1996, the rap/R&B market share reached heights of 21% of market sales.