The aim of this paper is to explain rubato in the Classical period. Modern piano pedagogues have not defined in detail how to use rubato, or when, where, and why to use it. I have tried to find some answers. Through studying the many classical treatises and modern sources and letters of the great masters or their friends, this paper intends to paint the picture of how rubato is practiced in the late 18th and early 19th century. It includes examples from different composers discussing the different types of rubato as well as tempo markings, slurs, dynamic markings, expressive markings and ornamentations/cadenzas, related to rubato.