Repertoire: definition, forms, history and uses in music and theatre

In music: scope and examples

In a musical context, a performer’s repertoire is the set of compositions they have studied and can present in public. For example, when a pianist speaks of their repertoire, they mean the range of pieces they can play from memory or score. Repertoire may be instrument-specific (piano, violin, voice), genre-based (baroque, romantic, contemporary) or function-based (recitals, competition programmes, teaching syllabi).

Some instruments have long, well-established canons. The violin has a particularly large solo repertoire spanning concertos, sonatas and solo showpieces, while the viola historically has fewer solo works, though its literature has grown through commissions and transcriptions. Broadly, repertoire can include original compositions, arrangements, transcriptions and historically informed variants.

In theatre and performance companies

For a theatre company, a repertoire (sometimes called a repertory) is the set of plays or dramatic works the company presents regularly. Repertory theatres may rotate several productions within a season, keeping a standing catalogue of plays that reflect the company’s artistic profile. The concept also applies to dance ensembles, opera houses and choirs, which maintain collections of works suited to their ensemble’s strengths.

Characteristics and practical uses

• Purpose: repertoire guides programming, auditions, teaching and recording projects.
• Types: instrument-specific, ensemble, period-focused (e.g., baroque repertoire), and contemporary commissions.
• Maintenance: performers expand, adapt or pare down their repertoire to match technical level, artistic goals and audience demand.

Managing a repertoire involves choices about memory versus score use, stylistic interpretation and whether to present canonical works or new compositions. For educators and students, repertoire forms the basis of graded exams and conservatory requirements; for companies, it defines identity and marketing strategy.

History, evolution and notable distinctions

The notion of a fixed body of works solidified as public concert life and professional theatre developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, when printed editions, touring circuits and repertory companies made repeated performance of select works practical. Today the term is also used figuratively—people talk about a speaker’s or actor’s "repertoire of skills." Important distinctions include the difference between a performer’s personal repertoire and a genre’s standard repertoire, and between historical canons and living, expanding repertoires that incorporate new commissions and rediscovered works.

Understanding repertoire therefore helps explain artistic choices, pedagogical priorities and the cultural life of music and theatre. For further reading on terminology and institutional practice, see resources on the term’s origin and usage in both musical and theatrical contexts.

French origin • music • theatre • list of works • pianist • violin • viola