music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

, a standard is a musical composition of established popularity, considered part of the "standard repertoire" of one or several

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

s. Even though the standard repertoire of a given genre consists of a dynamic and partly subjective set of songs, these can be identified by having been performed or recorded by a variety of musical acts, often with different arrangements. In addition, standards are extensively quoted by other works and commonly serve as the basis for musical improvisation. Standards may " cross over" from one genre's repertoire to another's; for example, many

jazz standards Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list ...

have entered the pop repertoire, and many

blues standards Blues standards are blues songs that have attained a high level of recognition due to having been widely performed and recorded. They represent the best known and most interpreted blues songs that are seen as standing the test of time. Blues s ...

have entered the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

repertoire. Standards exist in the classical,

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

music traditions of all cultures. In the context of Western classical music, the standard repertoire constitutes most of what is considered the "teaching canon", i.e. the compositions that students learn in their academic training. The standard repertoire varies according to the different eras, movements and scenes within a genre, meaning that the extent to which a given composition is considered a standard or "repertoire piece" may vary greatly. However, some repertoires (e.g. concert piano) have become particularly static, giving rise to a divide between "standard-repertoire performers" and contemporary music advocates.

Formal aspects (popular music)

Standards mostly possess "canonical" structures which pervade the repertoire. Popular standards in the Western tradition often have one of four basic song structures:

strophic form Strophic form – also called verse-repeating form, chorus form, AAA song form, or one-part song form – is a song structure in which all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the same music. Contrasting song forms include through-composed, ...

(AAA), twelve-bar blues progression (AAB),

thirty-two-bar form The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. A ...

(AABA) or a

verse–chorus form Verse–chorus form is a musical form going back to the 1840s, in such songs as " Oh! Susanna", " The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", and many others. It became passé in the early 1900s, with advent of the AABA (with verse) form in the T ...

(ABAB).

The standard repertoire (classical music)

In western-classical music, the standard repertoire, or the repertoire, refers to a large set of musical works that have been performed on numerous occasions by many

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

s, groups or interpreters across several countries over a long period of time. The pieces that conform the standard repertoire date from the

Baroque Era The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including th ...

until the

late 20th century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 (1901, MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 (2000, MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu, Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and ...

and follow the classical music traditional canons of composition and execution. In addition, because of their continuous presence in recordings and recital halls, the works from the standard repertoire are the most popular amongst the classical music audiences, and the performance of music that lies "outside the repertoire" generates much debate and discussion. The works in the repertoire have become need-to-know pieces for orchestral and solo instrumentalists, singers and conductors, as they encounter them in concert programs,

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ...

requirements, and

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

s, both for acceptance into

academic institutions Academic institution is an educational institution dedicated to education and research, which grants academic degrees. See also academy and university. Types * Primary schools – (from French ''école primaire'') institutions where children r ...

and working positions. As a result, much of the repertoire has become part of the teaching canon. The term can be applied to any classical music genre, as in "the standard operatic repertoire", "the standard symphonic repertoire" or "the standard piano repertoire"; referring to the pieces within that genre that fulfill said characteristics.

Formal aspects and limitations

As the standard repertoire is deeply rooted in the western classical music tradition, the pieces included respect the characteristics, complexity, and

performance practice Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of classical music, which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of the musical era in which ...

of classical music established during the common-practice period, although it is possible to find exceptions. Due to the "inflexibility" of the traditional techniques of composition and performance and the arduous and unclear requirements to enter the repertoire, a division has arisen between advocates of contemporary music and/or music outside the repertoire and those who promote and protect the founded tradition.

Controversy

Although the term "standard repertoire" aims to encompass a set of established works, it is still subject to trends and the tastes of conductors, programmers, and performers. Old works might be rediscovered, new works may enter the repertoire through repeated performance and good audience response, and established works can be left out indefinitely based merely on time constraints. Because of the disparity and unpredictability of this process, the works in the repertoire might differ from one time-period or location to another, although the most popular and wide-spread works tend to prevail. Furthermore, because of the incapacity of the educational institutions and publishing companies to adapt quickly enough, works that seem of no importance today remain in the concert programs and teaching repertoire, and works we consider relevant are artificially kept out.

Formal aspects (popular music)

The standard repertoire (classical music)

Formal aspects and limitations

Controversy

See also

References

Further reading