Divertimento (french equivalent - Divertissement) is a
word derived from the Italian 'divertire' which to
means "to amuse". This musical genre was usually for
lighthearted social occasions, and was generally scored
for a small ensemble or soloist. The earliest
publication to use such a term was by Carlo Grossi in
Venice; in 1681 he produced his "Il divertimento de'
grandi: musiche da camera, ò per servizio di tavola"
(An amusement of grand chamber music for table
service). As the name suggests,...(+)
Divertimento (french equivalent - Divertissement) is a
word derived from the Italian 'divertire' which to
means "to amuse". This musical genre was usually for
lighthearted social occasions, and was generally scored
for a small ensemble or soloist. The earliest
publication to use such a term was by Carlo Grossi in
Venice; in 1681 he produced his "Il divertimento de'
grandi: musiche da camera, ò per servizio di tavola"
(An amusement of grand chamber music for table
service). As the name suggests, this music was often
employed for entertainment of guests at banquets and
other similar social events. Subsequently there were
other names used for such music like serenade,
cassation, notturno, Nachtmusik; however after 1780
"divertimento" was the one most commonly used.
This guitarist was born in Barcelona, Spain. Fernando
Sor was descended from a family of career soldiers, and
initially planned to continue in this life. However his
love of music was sparked after he was introduced to
Italian opera, and to the guitar by his father. His
mother saw his musical interests as a distraction from
a military career, and so enrolled him in a military
school. Sor continued to thrive musically though, by
composing in his spare time.