Rubato

Part of speech: adverb, adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /rəˈbɑ.toʊ/

Definitions

1. A nuanced approach in music that permits changes in pace for expressive purposes while still adhering to rhythmic continuity
2. A technique in musical performance that allows for temporal flexibility, fostering personal emotion within a structured framework
3. The deliberate modification of timing in a musical piece to enhance emotional expression without losing the overall rhythm

Etymology: In Italian, "rubato" is the past participle of "rubare," meaning "robbed" or "stolen." Musicians borrowed the term to describe a performer who steals time from a passage: some notes are lingered over or pushed ahead while the underlying beat continues steadily, so the tempo seems to bend while the overall pace holds. The image is of time being taken from one note and given to another. English borrowed the term directly from Italian, where it was used as a musical instruction. Its sense has stayed tied to that idea of borrowed or stolen time, so a rubato passage sounds expressive precisely because the performer appears to take liberties with the beat. The word works as an adverb, adjective, and noun, all of which describe this flexible handling of tempo.