Bibliography  Summary  
 
Moore,  Robin,  The  Decline  of  Improvisation  in  Western  Art  Music:  An  
Interpretation  of  Change  Author(s),  Croatia:    Croatian  Musicological  
Society  Stable  URL,  1992  
 
 
This  article  discusses  the  declination  of  Improvisation  in  Western  Art  Music  through  social  change,  
personal  and  political  views  by  Moore.  This  article  addresses  itself  to  the  gradual  diminution  of  
classical  improvisation  from  Western  Art  music  during  the  early  twentieth  century  and  the  latter  half  
of  the  nineteenth  century.  Moore  also  talks  about  the  fact  that  improvisatory  performance  has  
gradually  been  dropped  from  most  conservatoire  practice,  even  though  performers  of  European  art  
music  in  previous  centuries  displayed  an  astounding  improvisatory  and  compositional  way  of  writing  
such  Chopin  and  Liszt.  

In  the  middle  of  the  article,  Moore,  discusses  the  way  in  which  ‘technological  development’  and  ‘lack  
of  exposure  to  classical  music’  also  are  huge  factors  that  affect  the  way  in  which  improvisatory  
practice  is  less  common  in  the  modern  classical  education  world.  He  goes  on  to  discuss  the  
‘experimentalist  nature  of  contemporary  composition’  and  how  this  may  be  a  deterring  factor  
towards  practice  of  improvisation  due  to  complex  demands  of  the  performer  and  the  audience  that  it  
reaches  out  for.  Moore  develops  this  idea  and  relates  the  way  in  which  modern  improvisations  
encounter  ‘historically  accurate  performance  practice’  and  the  perfectionist  within  that  can’t  seem  to  
release  creativity  and  who  is  constantly  concerned  about  the  exact  notes  we  interpret.  

In  some  of  the  closing  paragraphs  Moore  tries  to  come  up  with  reasons  how  Western  Art  composition  
can  keep  and  ‘remain  a  focus’  in  improvising  throughout  music  schools  and  conservatoires.  Moore  
concludes  with  the  pedagogy  and  methodological  ways  in  which  we  should  develop  and  keep  alive  
the  living  traditions  of  cultural  and  social  practices  within  music  so  we  can  keep  improvising  fresh  and  
new  interpretations.    
 

Harris,  Ellen  T,  The  Italian  in  Handel,  California:  University  of  California  Press  on  behalf  of  the  
American  Musicological  Society,  1980  

Ellen  Harris’s  book  best  describes  what  issue  was  a  recurring  theme  in  Palisca’s  article  with  
the  relationship  between  Italian  opera  between  Purcell  and  Handel  in  the  16th-­‐18th  century.  
This  book  however  covers  a  far  broader  and  in-­‐depth  subject  matter  and  specifically  reviews  
the  transition  Handel  had  in  the  four  years  that  he  spent  in  Italy  before  starting  to  write  a  
broad  canon  of  Italian  works.  

This  book  starts  off  with  Handel’s  early  influences  of  the  Italian  sound  world.  The  start  of  the  
article  describes  the  way  in  which  Handel’s  core  influences  of  Arcangelo  Corelli’s  
instrumental  music  and  Domenico  Scarlatti’s  vocal  veered  him  on  to  carve  his  own  voice  in  
the  Italian  Baroque  music  scene.  Jens  Peter  for  example,  writes,  "It  is  evident  how  much  from  
Corelli  about  writing  for  instruments,  and  from  Scarlatti  writing  for  solo  voice."  Similarly,  
Winton  Dean  writes  that  “In  Italy  (Handel)  assimilated  the  flexibility  and  eloquence  of  
Scarlatti’s  vocal  idiom,  and  the  polished  energy  of  the  instrumental  style  of  Corelli”.  
Harris,  then  goes  on  to  analyse  numerous  musical  examples  of  vocal  writing  between  
Scarlatti  and  Handel,  with  constant  comparison  between  the  two  composer’s  styles  and  how  
musically  Handel  took  inspiration  from  Scarlatti  through  numerous,  operas,  arias,  cantatas  
and  choral  works.  In  addition  to  this  Harris,  also  delves  into  Handel’s  strong  Germanic  roots  
and  how  this  impacted  his  ‘Italian  stylistic  influences  when  writing  over  the  course  of  four  
years.  Much  like  that  of  the  Palisca.  

The  book  then  concludes  the  way  in  which  Handel  made  an  impact  in  the  Italian  Baroque  
scene  across  the  16th  century  and  how  he  was  the  first  composer  to  ever  introduce  French-­‐
horns  as  an  accompaniment  to  the  voice.  He  was  best  described  as  a  ‘National  boost’  and  
evolutionary  for  the  stylistic  contributions  he  offered  to  the  Italians  and  the  constant  
development  of  Italian  Baroque  music  of  the  16th  century.  The  book  closes  with  such  a  warm-­‐
hearted  quote  that  the  Italians  used  to  reminisce  about  Handel:  “In  the  end  it  may  be  enough  
to  remember  that  although  Handel  was  never  il  caro  Italiano,  he  was  for  the  Italians,  and  can  
remain  for  us,  il  caro  Sassone”.

 
 Stoloff  Bob,  Scat!  Vocal  Improvisation  techniques,  New  York,  ed.  
Hirschfeld,  1996  
 
This  book  is  much  like  an  encyclopedia  of  everything  to  do  with  the  history  of  scat  singing  and  
every  single  scat  technique  considered:  ‘Rhythmic  Considerations’,  ‘Melodic  Considerations’,  
‘Melodic  Solos’,  Vocal  Bass  Lines’,  ‘Vocal  Drum  Articulations’,  ‘Solo  A  Cappella  Technique’,  
‘Sing-­‐Along  Patterns’  and  ‘Vocal  Drum  Grooves’.  Much  like  the  Potter  article,  this  work  
summaries  the  main  leading  Jazz  vocalists  of  the  20th  century  with  mentions  to  Louis  
Armstrong,  Ella  Fitzgerald  and  Leo  Watson.  Also  like  the  Potter,  the  book  picks  up  on  the  
iconic  ‘Vocalese’  technique  and  the  transition  of  multiple  stages  of  Jazz  scat  singing  from  the  
1960-­‐1980’s.        
 
After  a  brief  factual  and  introductory  section  to  the  history  of  Jazz  singing,  Stoloff  straight  
away  dives  into  the  technical  aspects  of  Scat  singing  with  actual  musical  examples  displayed  
in  every  chapter  for  the  reader  to  try  out,  much  like  that  of  an  exercise  or  study  book.  At  the  
end  of  each  chapter  there  is  a  recommend  listening  list  that  helps  the  audience  commit  to  
further  reading  sources  if  need  be,  to  listen  to  some  of  the  leading  Scat  artists  perform  the  
required  technique.  
 
As  of  tradition,  the  book  develops  on  and  gets  progressively  harder  with  every  chapter,  the  
last  few  chapters  displaying  rather  technical  and  advanced  uses  of  ‘Vocalese’  technique  in  all  
its  form,  much  looking  like  that  of  an  advanced/accomplished  instrumental  part.  The  book  is  
rounded  of  by  a  list  of  what  is  on  the  CD.  This  book  is  a  chance  to  educate  and  develop  your  
technique/skills  with  Scat  singing,  with  the  use  of  CD  to  sing-­‐along  to  with  exercises.