Divertimento in D major (also called Salzburg Symphony No 1) was written by Mozart for strings when he was only 16, which indicates the music ingenuity to come in the next years. As the name 'divertimento' suggests, the purpose of this composition was to entertain or to be played as a background music for dining or conversation. At the time, Mozart spent most of his time in Salzburg, after returning from his 4-year tour in Europe, with his father and sister, where he performed to nobility in all the courts. He composed this piece as a way to make quick money while he was still living with his parents as a teenager, probably for one of the musical evenings held in the homes of Salzburg's leading residents, at which he frequently performed on both keyboard and violin. However, this music proved to be superb in its own right and is one of Mozart's most popular works. Inventive and dynamic, this piece was inspired by Mozart's travelling throughout Europe, integrating many elements of the European musical traditions of that time.
A way to imagine this music would be by travelling mentally back to Europe of the late 18th century, with its political, cultural and intellectual fermentation (being the Age of Enlightenment), its royal courts, and some of the early major scientific discoveries.