Talk:Tempo rubato

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Comments

An example, especially in the form of a sound file would be greatly appreciated. —Vivacissamamente 02:57, 27 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Rubato simply manifests itself as a deviation from the tempo, but adhering to the rhythm (e.g. a quarter note is a quarter note, an eighth is an eighth). For example, (because I'm currently playing this piece), Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel) by Billy Joel is full of rubato, and is played on the piano. The song slows down as you approach the end of vocal phrasing, and speeds up again at the start of the next. Tomstdenis 15:33, 20 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

An interesting talking point is "Who invented Rubato?" Many musicians attribute it to Chopin, but I imagine that Beethoven may have hit upon it in his later Piano work. 82.31.140.174 (talk) 19:30, 11 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Chopin did not invent rubato. In fact, he thought that musicians greatly overused it. I doubt that any single composer invented it; it probably just evolved to suit the music which was becoming ever more tempestuous and emotional. In a different subject, I take issue with the article's suggestion that rubato is no longer used, or that it was/is only used when playing the works of select composers. In fact, rubato is practically ubiquitous in classical performance, particularly in solo work, and is, alongside dynamics, probably the most important part of interpreting a classical piece. Just watch youtube for practically any performance and you will see rubato employed.

Much harpsichord playing today is characteristically full of (plaged with?) rubato, probably trying to compensate for the instrument's lack of dynamic range. You get it in "historically informed" performances too. This would place the origins of rubato earlier than the romantic period, at least on this and similar instruments.

Nice

This is the most excellent article I've seen in a lifetime on the subject. Makes clear the joy of the complete freedom made possible by accomplished artistry. Bravissimo! Twang (talk) 07:01, 30 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

What a nice comment. I'm sure all editors who put effort into improving the article will have a feeling of "it was worth it! someone appreciates the time I took personally". Thank you, sincerely. Be good silverster (talk) 13:37, 3 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Musical example or sheet music?

This article could use an example for the laymen. Anybody? LenaLeonard (talk) 18:53, 21 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Sheet music would hardly help a layman understand the concept since a layman, by definition, would have little to no understanding of music theory, including reading music. A better idea would be to have side-by-side sound files, one which is played "by the book", and one which is played rubato.