Replayability (also known as Replay Value) is a measure of how much enjoyment people continue to have with a game that they have already spent time playing. Chess has a high level of replayability. Candyland has a low level of replayability, unless you’re five.
It’s also one of the factors I most seek as I’m selecting repertoire for ensembles. I think about it in two ways.
First, for music I program year after year, my so-called “Aces standards.” The music needs a high level of replayability if it means singers might interact with it for multiple years in an ensemble.
Second, though, I’m thinking about the new repertoire I select every year. I want music that will continue to reward the ensemble with challenges and successes, even after their first performance. I want music that will reward in the recording studio, in run-out concerts, in an end-of-the-year extravaganza. Music that we don’t tire of gives us many opportunities to continue to grow.
Does the music you program have a high level of replayability?