Divertimento in F major K.138 (1772)

The Divertimento in F major is one of a set of three (K.136-8) written in Salzburg in 1772 when the composer was no more than sixteen. That is all we know about them. It is not certain for example whether they were intended to be played by solo string quartet or string orchestra. The fact that the viola part in the autograph manuscript is headed “viole” certainly suggests, however, that Mozart had at least two of them in mind and that the violin parts (jointly marked “violini”), if not the cello part (“basso”), would be doubled accordingly. At the same time they are not scored like chamber music: the first and second violins dominate the texture, allowing the viola and cello parts little melodic interest.

The Divertimento in F is the least generous in this respect. The viola part joins the violins in thirds or sixths from time to time in the first movement, the lower strings add colour below sustained violin harmonies in the Andante, and in the middle of the Presto all four instruments briefly take part in a little canonic counterpoint. But, attractive though the scoring is, that is the limit of four-part enterprise here. The other, pro-quartet side of the argument is that there are rapid passages, most strikingly for the violins in the slow movement, which would be uncomfortable for orchestral rather than solo strings to accomplish. In the end, however, the discussion is little more than academic: all three works retain their youthful zest, their rhythmic ingenuity, their textural clarity and their melodic interest whether performed by a quartet or a small string ensemble.