In time

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff where strict tempo resumes after a free passage (a pause, colla voce, held back), or to forbid rubato at a point where it is customary; it holds until the next tempo change. It is the English equivalent of a tempo and in tempo.

How Composers Use It

Use it to cancel earlier freedom and restore the pulse cleanly; in songs it often follows a passage where the pianist has followed the singer. It can also warn against slowing at a cadence. If the restored tempo is not the one just abandoned, name it instead (Tempo I, or a metronome figure).

Related Terms