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Inmusic and otherperforming arts, the phrasead libitum (/ædˈlɪbɪtəm/;Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as anadjective oradverb) or "ad-lib" (as averb ornoun), refers to various forms ofimprovisation.
The roughly synonymous phrasea bene placito ('in accordance with [one's] good pleasure') is less common but, in its Italian forma piacere, has entered the musicallingua franca (see below).
The phrase "at liberty" is often associatedmnemonically (because of thealliteration of thelib- syllable), although it is not the translation (there is nocognation betweenlibitum andliber).Libido is the etymologically closer cognate known in English.
Inbiology andnutrition, the phrase is used to describe feeding without restriction.[1]
As a direction insheet music,ad libitum indicates that the performer or conductor has one of a variety of types of discretion with respect to a given passage:
Note that the directiona piacere (see above) has a more restricted meaning, generally referring to only the first two types of discretion.Baroque music, especially, has a written or impliedad libitum, with most composers intimating the freedom the performer and conductor have.
For post-Baroque classical music and jazz, seecadenza.
"Ad-lib" is used to describe individual moments during live theatre when an actor speaks through their character using words not found in the play's text. When the entire performance is predicated on spontaneous creation, the process is calledimprovisational theatre.
Infilm, the termad-lib usually refers to the interpolation of unscripted material in an otherwise scripted performance. For example, in interviews,Dustin Hoffman says head-libbed the now famous line, "I'm walking here! I'm walking here!" as "Ratso" Rizzo inMidnight Cowboy (1969). While filming at a streetcorner, the scene was interrupted by a taxi driver. Hoffman wanted to say, "We're filming a movie here!", but stayed in character, allowing the take to be used.[2]
Some actors are also known for their ability or tendency to ad-lib, such asPeter Falk of the television seriesColumbo. When performing as Colombo, Falk would ad-lib such mannerisms as absent-mindedness, fumbling through his pockets, or asking for a pencil, all in a deliberate attempt to frustrate his co-stars in the scene and obtain a more genuine reaction.[3]
Live performers such astelevisiontalk-show hosts sometimes deliver material that sounds ad-libbed but is actually scripted. They may employad-lib writers to prepare such material.[4]
TheHBO sitcomCurb Your Enthusiasm bySeinfeld co-creatorLarry David primarily usesretroscripting and ad-lib instead of scripted dialogue.
