Divertimento
Cheerful multi-movement entertainment music.
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.