Divertimento

Divertimento is a music genre, with most of it's examples stemming from the 18th century. The mood of the divertimento is most often lighthearted (as a result of being played at social functions) and it is generally composed for a small ensemble.

For historic roots of the divertimento, and for divertimentos (or in French: divertissements) as stage productions see: entr'acte.

As a separate genre it appears to have no specific form, although most of the divertimenti of the 2nd half of the 18th century go either back to a dance suite approach (derived from the 'ballet' type of theatrical divertimento), or take the form of other chamber music genres of their century (as a continuation of the merely instrumental theatrical divertimento).

Mozart is known for having composed different types of divertimenti, sometimes even taking the form of a small symphony, e.g. the Salzburg Symphonies KV 136-137-138.