rubato
/rʊˈbɑːtəʊ
/Music
noun (plural rubatos or rubati /rʊˈbɑːti/)
(also tempo rubato) The temporary disregarding of strict tempo to allow an expressive quickening or slackening, usually without altering the overall pace.There had been some flaccid rubatos in the preceding Allegro Assai and there were some underplayed syncopations in the Minuet and Trio but the cheer it received was well earned....
- Performers who play together on a regular basis always time their entry cues precisely and instinctively, shaping and moulding their tempi and rubati accordingly.
- How do you actually control your rubati without disturbing the flow, so that it knits into the textures, rhythmic line and overall character?
adjective
Performed with rubato: a rubato phrase...
- Author C. Palmer examined three aspects of timing in piano performance that are not explicitly notated in the score: chord asynchronies, rubato patterns and legato/staccato patterns.
- He also creates a rubato feel, carefully notated by his tempo indications.
- Philip warns, however, that while references to rhythmic freedom are common they ‘give no positive information about what actually happens to the rhythm during a rubato passage’.
Origin
Italian, literally 'robbed'.