This project takes on a historical perspective. The core issue is to examine whether improvisation is an alternative practice to composition (and plays a leading role in times and areas where the concept of a work of art is not widespread), or whether this practice is a constant of European culture that occurs in a different way each time, establishing relationships with written composition and the theory derived from it. In this section, the research group documents the understanding of musical improvisation in different periods from the early Seventeenth century to the present day.