sans rigueur

Without rigidity. Fauré's instruction for passages requiring flexibility of tempo — a gentle give within the phrase, not metronomic but not freely improvised.

Sans rigueur is subtler than rubato. The pulse should feel like breathing: slightly expansive at a peak, slightly contracted in approach. Never halt entirely or exaggerate; the flow must continue. This quality defines the barcarolle rhythms and the long melodic arches of the nocturnes.