time, freely

Copland's instruction for passages that move outside strict meter — not truly free, but with a loose, improvisatory quality that mimics speech or breath.

'Freely' in Copland is not Romantic rubato. It is more like free verse: each phrase finds its own natural weight and duration, but the governing pulse is never far away. In the Night Thoughts and In Evening Air, allow the line to breathe at natural phrase endings without imposing a grid.