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At liberty — the performer may vary the tempo, add ornamentation, or omit the passage entirely. Abbreviated ad lib.
Ad libitum gives the performer freedom to interpret. In Baroque music, it may indicate a section open to improvisation. In orchestral parts, it may mark an optional instrument. Use it sparingly — too much ad lib. and the performance becomes unpredictable.
Baroque continuo parts include ad libitum markings — the keyboardist has freedom to elaborate the realization according to taste.
Ad libitum is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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