Rubato (rhythm)
A flexible approach to tempo in which some beats are slightly lengthened and others shortened for expressive effect.
Category
rhythm
Pronunciation
/rʊˈbɑːtəʊ/
Origin
Italian (rubare, to steal)
Length
207 words · 2 min read
About Rubato (rhythm)
Rubato (from the Italian rubare, to steal) is the art of borrowing time from one note and repaying it to another, creating expressive elasticity within a phrase without losing the overall sense of pulse. In its strictest historical sense, the melody stretches and compresses whilst the accompaniment maintains a steady beat — much as a jazz singer might lag behind or push ahead of the rhythm section.
More rhythm terms
Metre
View all rhythmterms →The recurring pattern of strong and weak beats that organises music into regular groups.
PolyrhythmThe simultaneous use of two or more conflicting rhythmic patterns
DownbeatThe first and strongest beat of a bar, typically where the conductor's baton reaches its lowest point.
BarA segment of music bounded by bar lines, containing a fixed number of beats
Time SignatureA notational convention indicating how many beats are in each bar and which note value gets one beat
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v1 · 10/04/2026Browse all terms →