Rubato
Borrowed time, paid back — local freedom over a steady pulse
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Rubato means local freedom of speed over an essentially unchanged overall tempo — borrowing a little time and paying it back. The word comes from Italian rubare, "to steal". It is not licence: good rubato borrows and returns while the accompaniment or bass keeps the pulse; Chopin's rubato is the classic case, while Baroque rubato is closer to an ornamental delay.
Freedom without a pulse is merely loose. To judge a rubato, listen to whether the bass or accompaniment keeps walking — if the foundation stops too, it is not flexibility but a slower tempo in disguise.
Read deeper → Tempo
Sources
- rubato 的「借还」定义与历史用法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Rubato"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.