Misurato

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff to end a free passage — after Recit., senza misura, a piacere or a cadenza — and in force from that point on. Within recitative-like music it can also mark a short stretch that must be played in strict time.

How Composers Use It

Misurato restores the beat: count precisely, without the freedom of what came before. It is especially useful in vocal and solo music, where a recitative or ad libitum passage must be followed by an exact return that an accompanist can follow, and as an explicit warning against rubato in a lyrical context. A tempo restores speed; misurato insists on strictness, which is a slightly different request.

Related Terms