Au-dessus

As Printed on a Score

Means above: on scores most often in an octave instruction — une 8ve au-dessus, “an octave above” — attached to an ossia or a footnote offering a higher alternative. It applies only to the passage it marks.

Also spelled: au dessus

How Composers Use It

It lets you offer a higher version of a passage — to a singer who wants a brighter climax, say — without disturbing the main text. As with any ossia, keep the harmony and arrival point unchanged, and check the higher line against the accompaniment for doublings or crossings. Lili Boulanger uses footnotes of this kind to suit different voices in her songs.

Example

Boulanger, Clairières dans le ciel, “Nous nous aimerons tant”, piano, m. 9: “au-dessus”, closing the footnote “ces 5 mesures peuvent être chantées une 8ve au-dessus” — five bars that may be sung an octave higher.

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