A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Tempo Rubato
TEMPO RUBATO (Ital., literally robbed or stolen time). This expression is used in two different senses; first, to denote the insertion of a short passage in duple time into a movement the prevailing rhythm of which is triple, or vice versa, the change being effected without altering the time-signature, by means of false accents, or accents falling on other than the ordinary places in the bar. Thus the rhythm of the following example is distinctly that of two in a bar, although the whole movement is 3-4 time.
Schumann, Novellette, Op. 21, No. 4.
![{ \new Staff << \key d \major \time 3/4 \override Score.Rest #'style = #'classical
\new Voice \relative f' { \stemUp
<fis d' fis>4 r cis^> ^~ | cis ees2^> | f2^> b4^> ^~ |
b a^. <c a>^. | <d a d,> }
\new Voice \relative g { \stemDown
s2 g8_( a | bes4)_. a8_( b c4)_. | b8_( c d4)_. d8_( e |
eis4)_. <d fis>_. e_. } >> }](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/q/4/q43mz8mrsqonbgqy9wwbfue4le85qcf/q43mz8mr.png)
[ F. T. ]