ABSTRACT
The challenge for a singer dealing with group improvisation is very different from that for a soloist, for example an organist or harpsichordist. Of course this is because of the singer’s specific function within a polyphonic context. It requires a high level of awareness to anticipate what the other members of the group will do, and the difficulty of this is a major reason that this practice was criticized as being nearly impossible. Overcoming this prejudice has been a wonderful experience for the group that I founded, Le Chant sur le Livre.2 Several of my respected
colleagues began exploring historical improvisation with their students in the 1980s, obtaining similar results.3
