À l’aise

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff or over a vocal line, usually in lower case and often qualified — très à l’aise, un peu à l’aise — or joined to other character words in one direction. It describes a manner for the passage rather than a measured change of tempo, and lasts until the next tempo or character marking; the accent is sometimes dropped in print.

Also spelled: a l'aise, à l'aise

How Composers Use It

It asks for ease: an unforced, comfortable pace and a relaxed delivery, with room for the line to breathe without slowing in any measurable way. French composers of the early twentieth century, Lili Boulanger among them, use it to loosen a passage after tension or to let a singer settle into a phrase. Pair it with a tempo word if you also want the speed to change, since à l’aise on its own describes manner, not metronome.

Example

Boulanger, Reflets, voice, m. 55: “à l'aise”, with pp arriving in the next bar; the song opens “Sans lenteur”.