repertoire
REP-er-twahr
/ˈrɛpərtwɑːr/
The total collection of plays, songs, or pieces that a performer or group is prepared to perform.
Refers to a performer's entire library of master works rather than a single show's song list.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'repertorium' (an inventory or storehouse), derived from 'reperire' (to find out/find again). French created 'répertoire' for a performer's catalog of pieces before English adopted it in the 1800s.
Word relationships
- catalogue: 'Catalogue' is a general list of assets; 'repertoire' implies rehearsed performance readiness.
Commonly confused with
- setlist: A setlist is one show's list; repertoire is all pieces an artist can play.
Word family
- repertorial (adjective): relating to a repertoire
Collocations
- broad repertoire
- expand one's repertoire
- standard repertoire
- operatic repertoire
Example sentences
- "The pianist's vast repertoire includes works from Bach and Beethoven to modern avant-garde composers." Classical piano
- "The theater troupe expanded its repertoire this season to include contemporary comedies." Theater company
Memory hook
REPERTOIRE is a REPEATABLE catalog stored in your artistic memory. REPERTOIRE = total collection of performable pieces.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'setlist', which is the sequence played on one night.
Fun facts
- Conductor Herbert von Karajan had a repertoire of over 300 major orchestral works completely memorized without score sheets.
Related words
Explore more words
collection, rehearsal, rehearse, playbook, repository, Playback
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