A musical composition that is imaginative and free in form, or a fantasy or whimsical artistic work.
From French 'fantaisie,' derived from Old French 'fantasie,' ultimately from Greek 'phantasia' (imagination). The word entered English musical terminology via French and is also spelled 'fantasia' in English.
Fantaisie is a French spelling that composers like Chopin and Liszt used for rhapsodic pieces that broke the rules of traditional form—it's the word for 'musical daydream,' which explains why these pieces wander melodically wherever the composer's imagination takes them.
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