Au

As Printed on a Score

Au is à + le, “to the” or “at the”: it opens a direction that names a destination or a standard — au Mouvt (back to the tempo), comme au début, au Refrain, au signe. À la and aux are its feminine and plural forms (à la pointe, at the tip of the bow). The phrase it begins sets the scope.

Also spelled: à la, a la, aux

How Composers Use It

Directions built on au usually point the performer somewhere else in time — back to a tempo, a section or the opening — so they work only if the place they name is unmistakable. Au Mouvt assumes one main tempo; if the piece has several, write 1er Mouvt or name the tempo instead. In strophic songs a jump such as AU REFRAIN works only when the refrain is labelled where it begins.

Example

Satie, Je te veux, piano, m. 78: “AU REFRAIN”, printed with “très retenu”, sending the performers back to the waltz refrain.

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