The audience saw the meaning at once and shouted in its enthusiasm, until Mendelssohn was forced to seat himself at the piano and extemporise upon the theme.
"The Love Affairs of Great Musicians, Volume 1"
Rupert Hughes
Struck with admiration at the sight before him, the Andalusian began to extemporise some verses, but stopped short in the middle of the last line, unable to finish them for want of a rhyme; whereupon the Catalan, who saw his embarrassment, caught the line as it were out of his mouth, finished it, continued the thought, and completed the poem.
"The Exemplary Novels of Cervantes"
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
If he was in the mood and the composer was agreeable, he would, as has been told already, extemporise a new Trio from the Continuo part, or, adding a new part, convert the Trio into a Quartet.
"Johann Sebastian Bach"
Johann Nikolaus Forkel and Charles Sanford Terry