Rubato
Flexible, stolen time
Category
tempo
Pronunciation
roo-BAH-toh
Origin
Italian
Length
73 words · 1 min read
About Rubato
A tempo direction meaning the performer may freely speed up or slow down for expressive effect, "stealing" time from one note to give to another. The overall pulse remains intact.
More tempo terms
Stringendo
View all tempoterms →Pressing forward; an instruction to accelerate the tempo with increasing urgency.
LargoVery slow and broad; the slowest standard tempo marking.
LentoSlow, between Adagio and Largo.
Alla breveCut time — a tempo marking indicating two minim beats per bar instead of four crotchets
A tempoReturn to the original tempo after a deviation.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Compare with similar terms
v1 · 09/04/2026Browse all terms →