frei fantasieren
German composer
Definition
Free improvisation — the art of extemporising a keyboard fantasia without barlines or fixed metre. CPE Bach was celebrated as the finest improviser of his day; his notated fantasias (Wq. 67, Wq. 58/6-7, etc.) are attempts to capture this practice in written form.
Interpretive Guidance
In the written fantasias, resist an overly strict pulse in unmeasured or cadenza-like passages. Treat them as structured improvisation: a clear harmonic journey with expressive freedom in the details.