Classical and Romantic Performing Practice (2nd edn)
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Abstract
Attitudes to un-notated tempo modification changed radically during the 20th century, as recordings demonstrate, reflecting an overall trend towards more objective treatment of the text. During the 18th and 19th centuries a degree of tempo flexibility was seen as essential to a fine performance. Opinions about the appropriate extent and character of this flexibility, however, were contentious. The chapter considers types of tempo modification: tempo rubato over a steady beat, and changes to the underlying pulse. It also deals with composers’ attempts to specify modification with signs, including 
and 
. It traces how modification that was deemed by many as extreme gained theoretical validity, both in solo playing and, with the rise of interpretative conductors, in orchestral performance.
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