‘In keeping tempo Chopin was inflexible, and it will surprise many to learn that the
metronome never left his piano. Even in his much-slandered rubato, one hand, the
accompanying hand, always played in strict tempo, while the other – singing, either
indecisively hesitating or entering ahead of the beat and moving more quickly with a
certain impatient vehemence, as in passionate speech – freed the truth of the musical
expression from all rhythmic bonds.’
Mikuli was describing two distinct types of Chopin rubato:
The first type of Chopin rubato, as practised by Chopin and as described by Mikuli in the
first paragraph above, was the ‘accelerating and slowing down’ rubato. This type of
rubato was what Liszt pupil August Stradal called ‘the Chopin rubato’ and what he
described as ‘hastening and slowing down’. The first type of Chopin rubato may be
described as a rubato in both hands combined.
The second type of Chopin rubato, as practised by Chopin and as described by Mikuli in
the second and third paragraphs above, was the ‘hesitating or entering ahead of the beat’
rubato. This type of rubato is, in the opinion of the present writer, identical with the
‘melody delaying’ and ‘melody anticipation’ which pianists born in the nineteenth
century practised and which is discussed in the articles ‘Mannerisms in nineteenth
century piano playing’ and ‘Performing practice in nineteenth century piano playing’.
It seems that Stradal was not thinking of ‘melody delaying’ and ‘melody anticipation’ as
part of ‘the Chopin rubato’. The reason for this was that it was customary for most, if not
all, pianists to practise ‘melody delaying’ and ‘melody anticipation’ in passages with a
melody in the right hand and an accompaniment in the left hand. The second type of
Chopin rubato may be described as a rubato in the right hand.
To summarise, the second type of Chopin rubato consisted of the following separate
practices:
Melody delaying: playing the left hand slightly after the right hand melody, which
Mikuli described as the right hand ‘hesitating [ahead of the beat]’.
Melody anticipation: playing the left hand slightly before the right hand melody, which
Mikuli described as the right hand ‘entering [ahead of the beat]’.
Chopin’s Nocturne in D flat major opus 27 no. 2 is an excellent piece for illustrating the
second type of Chopin rubato. This nocturne consists of a melody of varying note values
in the right hand and a continuous accompaniment of semiquavers in the left hand.
Leschetizky’s reproducing piano roll recording of this nocturne, made in 1906, contains
melody delaying, melody anticipation and arpeggiata. It sounds very old-fashioned and
mannered to modern ears but is of great historical interest.