The Divertimento in E major,
K. 563, is a
string trio, written by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in
1788
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The first edition of ''The Times'', previously ''The Daily Universal Register'', is published in London.
* January 2 – Georgia ratifies the United States Constitution, and becomes the fourth U.S ...
, the year in which he completed his
last three symphonies (nos. 39–41) and his
"Coronation" Piano Concerto. It is his last
divertimento and different from
his other divertimenti not only in its instrumentation but also in its compositorial ambition and scope.
The work was completed in Vienna on September 27, 1788, and is dedicated to
Michael Puchberg __NOTOC__
Johann Michael von Puchberg (September 21, 1741, Zwettl, Lower Austria – January 21, 1822, Vienna) was a textile merchant who lived in Vienna in the 18th and early 19th centuries. He is remembered as a friend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart w ...
, a fellow
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
, who lent money to Mozart.
The premiere was in Dresden on April 13, 1789, with
Anton Teyber
Anton Teyber (8 September 1756 (bapt.) – 18 November 1822) was an Austrian organist, Kapellmeister and composer.
Anton Teyber was born and died in Vienna. His brother was Franz Teyber. He taught the children of the Holy Roman Emperor before ...
taking the violin part, Mozart playing viola and
Antonín Kraft playing cello. At the time Mozart was conducting a tour of German cities, on his way to Berlin (see
Mozart's Berlin journey
One of the longest adulthood journeys of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a visit, beginning in Spring 1789, to a series of cities lying northward of his adopted home in Vienna: Prague, Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin.
Departure
The journey took place d ...
).
Movements
The work is in six
movements:
Recorded performances of the Divertimento range from 41 to 50 minutes.
Critical reception
As
Alfred Einstein
Alfred Einstein (December 30, 1880February 13, 1952) was a German-American musicologist and music editor. He was born in Munich and fled Nazi Germany after Hitler's ''Machtergreifung'', arriving in the United States by 1939. He is best known for b ...
writes in ''Mozart: His Character, His Work'' (and as excerpted in the notes to a
Kennedy Center performance), Mozart's only completed string trio shares with most divertimenti this six-movement format, but from that no lightness of tone should be understood – rather, "it is a true chamber-music work, and grew to such large proportions only because it was intended to offer ... something special in the way of art, invention, and good spirits. ... Each instrument is ''
primus inter pares
''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their sen ...
'', every note is significant, every note is a contribution to spiritual and sensuous fulfilment in sound." Einstein called it "one of his noblest works".
Mozart's Divertimento in E
major is "one of a kind," according to the notes to an
Emerson Quartet
The Emerson String Quartet, also known as the Emerson Quartet, is an American string quartet that was initially formed as a student group at the Juilliard School in 1976. It was named for American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson and beg ...
performance. "It is not only Mozart's only finished composition for string trio – it also appears to be the first such work by any composer."
Notes to a concert
of the Emerson String Quartet by Peter Laki Though probably the first substantial work for the combination, it is not the first work written for string trio; there were works for violin, viola and cello written at least five years earlier, by Wenzel Pichl, and works for two violins and bass, probably based on the trio sonata, written much before that.
References
External links
*
*
*, performed by members of the Takeuchi String Quartet.
{{Authority control
Serenades and divertimenti by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Compositions for string trio
1788 compositions
Compositions in E-flat major
Music dedicated to benefactors or patrons