March K. 445 and Divertimento K. 334

We know very little about Mozart’s Divertimento in D major K. 334, which is still popular today: an autograph has not been preserved, and in the two editions published after Mozart’s death there are in one case only four, in the other six movements. It is very likely that the divertimento is a “Robinische Musique”, as mentioned a number of times in the Mozart family correspondence, which was composed in 1780 for a member of the respected patrician Robinig family, with whom the Mozarts were on friendly terms.

Traditionally, such a divertimento was combined with a march as the opening and closing music. Since the March K. 445 has the key and instrumentation in common with the Divertimento K. 334 and its autograph could conceivably be dated to summer 1780, it is placed before the Divertimento in the present edition. Editor Felix Loy has carefully probed the complicated source situation and also provides in his preface a glimpse into contemporary music-making practice which allowed for larger or smaller ensembles in performances of this type of music. Henle offers in the Urtext both an edition for a six-piece chamber ensemble with one-on-a-part string instrumentation, as well as an alternative for chamber orchestra with string instrumentation of any size and with a conducting score.