Menuetto

Menuetto, or minuet, is a stately dance in triple meter that emerged in the Baroque period and became a standard movement in classical instrumental music. The tempo is moderate, and its gracious, precise style was well suited to courtly display.

Musically, a menuetto is typically notated in 3/4 time and often appears as part of larger works such as suites, symphonies, or string quartets. In the Classical era it commonly exists in a minuet and trio form: a first section (A) in a certain key, followed by a contrasting trio (B) often in a different key, and a return to the original material. The overall form is usually ABA or binary AABB, depending on the composer and period.

The term menuetto is the Italian form of the minuet; in other languages it is usually written as minuet or menuet. While it originated as a social dance with specific steps, in instrumental music the focus is on rhythm and grace rather than dance practice. Over time, the character sometimes became brisker, and in some late works the minuet was replaced by a scherzo, but many composers retained the traditional form.

Notable composers associated with the menuetto include J. S. Bach (in his keyboard and orchestral works) and in the Classical period Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and early Ludwig van Beethoven, who used the movement as a standard third movement in many symphonies and chamber works.