notes inégales
French era
Definition
A performance practice in which pairs of equal notes are played slightly unequally — the first slightly longer, the second shorter — to create a lilting, dance-like flow.
Interpretive Guidance
Central to French Baroque style. Applies chiefly to pairs of stepwise notes in the middle register moving in a moderate tempo. The degree of inequality depends on the dance type and the tempo: a slow sarabande uses more inequality than a fast gigue.