Gai

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a character word, often inside the tempo heading (Assez animé, léger, gai) or alone at a new section; the feminine gaie and the adverb gaiement also appear. It colours the passage until the next tempo or character word.

Also spelled: gaie

How Composers Use It

Gai asks for brightness and high spirits — buoyant rhythm, light articulation, a smiling tone — more than for speed, so it pairs naturally with a moderate tempo word. It is the plain French cousin of giocoso. Use it to set the mood of a dance or a spring scene; if you also need lightness or speed, name them separately, as Lili Boulanger does in D’un matin de printemps.

Example

Boulanger, D’un matin de printemps, piccolo, m. 22: “gai” at p, two bars after “sans presser”.

Related Terms