Louré
Several notes in one bow stroke, each lightly articulated.
What it means
Louré designates, for string instruments, a bow stroke in which several notes are played in one bow stroke, each of them, however, lightly articulated. The bow stays on the string; the notes are not separated but set off from one another by a small change of pressure or speed. The result lies between binding and separation: a connected line with audible note boundaries.
In substance this corresponds to portato, or mezzo staccato, which means the same execution for other instruments and in vocal music. Louré differs from staccato in that no rest arises between the notes and the bow does not leave the string; it differs from pure legato in that every note receives an attack of its own.
The identically spelled word also designates a slow French dance; the two meanings are to be kept apart.
In the notation
The manner of playing is notated by dots or short strokes under a slur. Strokes call for the softer, more sustained execution, dots for a somewhat more distinct separation; the distinction is handled differently from edition to edition. The slur shows that all the notes lie in one bow stroke.
Musical use
The manner of playing serves to present a melody as both connected and articulated at the same time. It is especially widespread in sustained movements, where a pure binding would swallow the note repetitions, and in accompanying figures that are to carry without merging. It is also the usual means for repeated notes at the same pitch.
The articulation is notated with dots under a slur or with strokes. On string instruments the notes are played in one bow stroke with a small impulse of pressure.
Performance practice
Keep the bow on the string and produce the separation through a brief easing in the arm, not by lifting. Hold the notes long enough that the line remains intact. Take care that the amount of bow suffices for all the notes — with many notes in one stroke, the last one easily runs short. And distinguish dots and strokes in the notation before deciding on the sharpness of the separation.