A minuet ( / ˌ m ɪ nj u ˈ ɛ t / ; also spelled menuet ) is a social dance from France that is performed by two people. It is usually written in 4/4 time, meaning there are four beats in each measure of music. The English word comes from the Italian word minuetto and the French word menuet.

The term minuet also refers to the musical structure that goes with the dance. Over time, this structure became more complex, often including a longer form called the minuet and trio. This musical style was commonly used as a section in early classical symphonies. Although the music was sometimes changed to fit different styles, composers of that time were familiar with the dance itself.

Dance

The name may come from the small steps, called "pas menus," used in the dance. It could also be linked to "branle à mener" or "amener," which were popular group dances in early 17th-century France. Some people thought the minuet came from the "bransle de Poitou," but there is no clear proof of this connection. The earliest written work to mention a possible link between the name and "pas menus" was Gottfried Taubert's Rechtschaffener Tantzmeister, published in Leipzig in 1717. However, this source did not describe the steps as being especially small or delicate. During its most popular time, the minuet was controlled, formal, and graceful.

Music

The name of this dance is also used for a musical piece written in the same rhythm and timing. However, when not performed with a dance, the music was played faster. Well-developed minuets, beyond being a social dance, were first introduced to opera by Jean-Baptiste Lully. He included as many as 92 minuets in his plays and operas. In the late 17th century, the minuet became part of a musical suite, as seen in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. In some compositions by Italian and French composers, the minuet was played more quickly and lively, sometimes in 8 or 8 time. Because the speed of a minuet was not always the same, the instruction "tempo di minuetto" was unclear unless another speed direction was added.

Before being used in settings other than social dancing, the minuet was usually in a two-part structure, with two repeated sections of eight bars each. Over time, the second section grew longer, creating a three-part structure. The middle minuet often provided contrast through a different key, musical arrangement, or themes. Sometimes, two minuets were combined, with the first minuet repeated after the second. The entire form could be repeated as long as the dance continued.

Around the time of Jean-Baptiste Lully, it became common to write the middle section for a trio, such as two oboes and a bassoon. This middle section was later called the "trio" of the minuet, even if the music was not played by three instruments. The overall structure is known as rounded binary or minuet form.

After Lully’s developments, composers sometimes added a modified version of the first section or a new section that contrasted with both the first and middle sections, creating forms like A–A′–B–A or A–B–C–A. An example of the latter is the third movement of Mozart’s Serenade No. 13 in G major, K. 525, known as Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

A faster version of the minuet evolved into the scherzo, often paired with a trio. The term "scherzo" became common during Beethoven’s time, though the form originated earlier with Haydn.

The minuet and trio eventually became the standard third movement in the four-movement classical symphony, with Johann Stamitz being the first to use it regularly.

An example of the true minuet form is found in Don Giovanni. A famous modern instrumental example is Ignacy Jan Paderewski’s Minuet in G.