Mozart was studying the works of Bach and other old masters around 1782, which greatly influenced his compositions. The “Prelude & Fugue for string trio, K404a No. 6 in F minor” is one of six by Mozart They are arrangements of fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach and his son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, with some of the preludes composed by Mozart himself. The Fugue in No. 6 is an arrangement of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach’s Fugue F.31 No. 8, and the Prelude is likely Mozart’s own composition. Studying these older masters helped Mozart to deepen his understanding of counterpoint and inspired his later compositions, including the string trio Divertimento, K. 563.

The Divertimento in E♭ major, K. 563, is a string trio, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1788, the year in which he completed his last three symphonies (nos. 39–41) and his “Coronation” Piano Concerto. It is his last divertimento and different from his other divertimenti not only in its instrumentation but also in its compositorial ambition and scope.

The work was completed in Vienna on 27 September 1788 and is dedicated to Michael von Puchberg, a friend and fellow Freemason, who lent money to Mozart. The premiere was in Dresden on April 13, 1789, with Anton Teyber taking the violin part, Mozart playing viola and Antonín Kraft playing cello. At the time Mozart was conducting a tour of German cities, on his way to Berlin.