Francesco Saverio Giai

Francesco Saverio Giai (Turin, 1729 – Grugliasco, near Turin, 1801) was an Italian composer associated with the court of Savoy. The son of the composer Giovanni Antonio Giay, he built his career within the religious and musical life of Turin.

He was trained in Turin, probably at the Collegium Puerorum Innocentium of the cathedral, under F. M. Montalto. Between 1759 and 1762 he spent a year in each of three cities: Bologna, with Padre Martini; Naples, with Giuseppe de Majo; and Rome, where he was well received in the papal chapel. After his father's death he directed the royal chapel in Turin, a post documented from a letter dated 9 February 1764.

Until 1798 he was the principal collaborator of the celebrated violinist Gaetano Pugnani in the musical life of the court. He directed the music for the wedding of Clotilde of France and Charles Emmanuel IV in 1775. Like his father, he devoted himself chiefly to sacred music, although he is also reputedly credited with a violin concerto.

His legacy, preserved mainly in Turin, includes masses, requiems, psalms and motets, although his work never achieved the wide circulation of other composers of his generation.