fantasia
Italian universal
Definition
A free compositional form structured by imagination rather than by prescribed formal conventions. In Busoni's hands, the fantasia becomes a vehicle for extended, quasi-improvisatory argument — as in the Fantasia contrappuntistica and the Fantasia nach J.S. Bach.
Interpretive Guidance
Allow the music to breathe and evolve organically across its sections. Avoid imposing rigid tempos. The fantasy idiom rewards listening and responding to the music's own momentum.