Animpromptu (/ɪmˈprɒmptjuː/,French:[ɛ̃pʁɔ̃pty]ⓘ, loosely meaning "offhand") is a free-form musical composition with the character of anex tempore improvisation as if prompted by the spirit of the moment, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano. According toAllgemeine musikalische Zeitung,Johann Baptist Cramer began publishing piano pieces under the (sub-)title of "impromptu." (AMZ, Mar. No II, 1815, col. 6), which seems to be the first recorded use of the termimpromptu in this sense.
Since the very concept of unpremeditated, spur-of-the-moment inspiration without studied care is at the heart ofRomantic artistic theory, it did not take long before the first generation ofRomantic composers took up the idea. Others were:
The impromptu genre remained popular all throughout the 19th century and was prominent throughout the romantic era.
In the 20th century, there are also several examples of composers naming their compositions "Impromptu", such as:
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