impromptu

An impromptu is a character piece for solo piano that suggests the spontaneity of improvisation, even though it is fully composed. The name, meaning on the spur of the moment, describes the music's free-flowing, seemingly unplanned quality rather than its method of creation. Schubert's eight Impromptus and Chopin's four Impromptus are the most celebrated examples of the genre. Despite their casual name, these are carefully structured works of considerable depth. The form became popular in the early Romantic era, when composers sought titles that reflected the personal, intimate nature of their piano music rather than abstract formal labels.