Divertimento

What it means

The divertimento is a multi-movement composition of the eighteenth century that serves entertainment. The number of movements varies considerably; often there are five or more short pieces, usually including several minuets. The scoring is small and with one player to a part, from wind groups through string trios to mixed ensembles. The boundary with serenade, cassation, and notturno is blurred; the designations were not strictly distinguished at the time of their creation.

Musical use

Such works were intended for convivial occasions at which music forms a setting without standing at the centre. The characteristics follow from this: manageable movement lengths, clear periodic structure, catchy melody, no extended developments. This does not mean undemanding — the solo scoring requires technical security, and many divertimenti are artfully crafted. In music history they stand in close connection with the emergence of chamber music: from the entertainment scoring the fixed genres of string trio and string quartet develop, whose aspiration is then a different one.

Performance practice

Treat the movements as a sequence of characters and bring out the differences, especially between several minuets, which otherwise seem uniform. Play transparently and lightly; in a one-to-a-part scoring every voice carries, and thick playing spoils the tone of the genre. Keep the minuets dance-like and not too slow. Settle the order of movements, since such works are sometimes transmitted differently. For outdoor performances, watch for clearer articulation and calmer tempi.

Bear in mind that the order of movements in the sources often varies and individual movements are transmitted in different compilations: settle before rehearsal which version you are playing, and name it in the programme. For the effect, the order of the characters matters more than completeness; a selection is legitimate if it is justified. Watch the dance-like execution of the minuets and clear articulation. In a one-to-a-part scoring every voice carries, so transparency is the goal and not fullness.

Name the order of movements played in the programme so that listeners can follow the selection.