General Comments
Inégalité, or inequality, is an unnotated performance convention for music in the French style, where notes are notated equally, but performed in a long-short or, less often, a short-long way. The level of application for inequality is as follows:
- for a beat on the half note, or dotted half note, inequality applies on the eighth-note level.
- for a beat on the dotted quarter, quarter, or eighth, inequality applies on the sixteenth-note level.
The only exception is in cut-C, which might have inequality on the eighth- or the sixteenth-note level.
The application of inequality is indicated in the following situations:
- step-wise notes on the appropriate rhythmic level for the meter
- notes in pairs
- groups of notes not interrupted by rests
- slurs occurring over pairs of notes
- pickup notes occurring against inequality in other parts
The amount of inequality can vary tremendously, from virtually dotted to a much more subtle difference in duration.