A divertissement is a musical term for a song that does not advance the plot in an opera or ballet. It’s also an instrumental piece of light music and a ballet made entirely of such loosely connected dances. The term comes from a French word that means amusement or diversion.
Divertissements were established as a traditional part of French opera composer Jean-Baptiste Lully in the mid-1600s, and they remained popular throughout the 18th century. They can be performed during the opera or at the end. Instead of a divertissement, a similar song performed between acts is known as an intermede or intermezzo. They are still used many composers in the twenty-first century, but they are not as common.
A divertissement is a pause in the action in ballet and opera. The famous ballet “The Nutcracker” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, for example, contains several divertissements. After defeating the Mouse King, the main characters, Clara and the Nutcracker, return to the Nutcracker’s palace, where many of his subjects perform dances for them. Despite the fact that the storyline is minimal, these dances are frequently regarded as the ballet’s highlights.
The word “divertissement” appears in the title of some ballets, indicating that they are made up entirely of unrelated dances. The emotion created each dance, rather than the action of a story, is the focus of these ballets. In 1930, Jacques Ibert, a 20th-century French composer, published “Divertissement,” a piece for small orchestra.
Another definition of divertissement is light, entertaining music for social occasions. Divertimento, an Italian word that also means diversion or amusement, is more commonly used to describe this. This style of music was especially popular in the 18th century for use during and after banquets, as well as outside at garden parties. Divertissements are not considered serious music and are rarely performed in a concert setting due to the intended setting.
A small ensemble of strings, wind instruments, or both composes an instrumental divertissement. Divertissement ensembles may have influenced the development of the string quartet. Due to the fact that divertissements were usually performed in people’s homes, the size of the ensemble was limited, and a full orchestra was never used.
Divertissements can be made up of multiple movements. This type of music can be difficult to categorize because it is not made up of a single style. They are frequently written as a dance suite or in the style of chamber music.