The expressive and rhythmic freedom in music by slightly speeding up and slowing down the tempo; literally, 'stolen time.'
From Italian 'tempo rubato' (stolen time). The performer 'steals' time from one beat and gives it to another, creating expressiveness that rigid tempo cannot achieve.
Musicians STEAL time! They slow down here, speed up there, and the total time stays the same — they just redistribute it! Chopin was the master of rubato. It's what makes music feel HUMAN instead of robotic! 🎹â°
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.