An impromptu (from the Latin in promptu — “in readiness,” “without preparation”) is a piano piece characteristic of the Romantic era which, by its ease and freshness, gives the impression of a just-born, spontaneous improvisation, although in fact it is a carefully considered work.
The form of the impromptu is free, but it usually keeps to a three-part structure, where livelier outer sections frame a lyrical middle. The most famous examples of the genre were created by Franz Schubert and Frédéric Chopin: their impromptus astonish with melodic beauty, poetry, and a fine feeling for the piano sound. Together with the nocturne, ballade, and bagatelle, the impromptu belongs to the favourite “character pieces” of Romanticism, which convey the immediate impulse of the soul and a fleeting mood.
