A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Minuet
MINUET (Fr. Menuet; Ger. Menuett; Ital. Minuetto). A piece of music in dance rhythm, and of French origin. The name is derived from the French menu (small), and refers to the short steps of the dance. The exact date of its first invention is uncertain. According to some authorities it came originally from the province of Poitou, while others say that the first was composed by Lully. In its earliest form the minuet consisted of two eight-bar phrases, in 3-4 time, each of which was repeated; sometimes commencing on the third, but more frequently upon the first, beat of the bar, and of a very moderate degree of movement. The well-known minuet in the first finale of 'Don Giovanni' is a very faithful reproduction of this original form of the dance. As a complement to the short movement, a second minuet was soon added, similar in form to the first, but contrasted in feeling. This was mostly written in three-part harmony, whence it received its name Trio, a name retained down to the present time, long after the restriction as to the number of parts has been abandoned. A further enlargement in the form of the minuet consisted in the extension of the number of bars, especially in the second half of the dance, which frequently contained sixteen, or even more, bars, instead of the original eight. It is in this form that it is mostly found in the Suite.
In the works of the composers of the 18th century, especially Handel and Bach, the minuet is by no means an indispensable part of the Suite. As compared with some other movements, such as the Allemande, Courante, or Sarabande, it may be said to be of somewhat infrequent occurrence. Its usual position in the Suite is among the miscellaneous dances, which are to be found between the Sarabande and the Gigue, though we exceptionally meet with it in the 3rd Suite of Handel's second set as a final movement, and with three variations. In Handel, moreover, it is very rare to find the second minuet (or Trio) following the first. On the other hand, this composer frequently gives considerable development to each section of the movement, as in the 8th Suite of the second set, where the minuet (written, by the way, as is frequently the case with Handel, in 3-8 instead of 3-4 time), contains 34 bars in the first part, and 71 in the second. This piece has little of the character of the ordinary minuet excepting the rhythm. Handel also frequently finishes the overtures of his operas and oratorios with a minuet; one of the best-known instances will be found in the overture to 'Samson.'
The minuets of Bach are remarkable for their variety of form and character. In the Partita in B♭ (No. 1) the first minuet contains 16 bars in the first section and 22 in the second; while the second minuet is quite in the old form, consisting of two parts of eight bars each. The minuet of the fourth Partita (in D) has no Trio, and its sections contain the first eight, and the second twenty bars. In a Suite for Clavier in E♭ (Book 3, No. 7, of the Peters edition of Bach's works), we find an early example of a frequent modern practice. The first minuet is in E♭ major, and the second in the tonic minor. It may be remarked in passing that Bach never uses the term 'Trio' for the second minuet, unless it is actually written in three parts. In the 4th of the six Sonatas for flute and clavier we meet with another variation from the custom of the day which ordained that all movements of a suite must be in the same key. We here see the first minuet in C major, and the second in A minor—a precedent often followed in more modern works. Another example of the same relation of keys will be found in the fourth of the so-called 'English Suites'—the only one which contains a minuet. Here the first minuet is in F and the second in D minor. Of the six French Suites four have minuets, two of which are worth noticing. In the second minuet of the 1st Suite the latter half is not repeated—a very rare thing; and in the 3rd Suite we meet with a genuine Trio in three parts throughout, and at the end the indication 'Menuet da Capo.' Though it was always understood that the first minuet was to be repeated after the second, it is very rare at this date to find the direction expressly given. One more interesting innovation of Bach's remains to be mentioned. In his great Concerto in F for solo violin, two horns, three oboes, bassoon, and strings, will be found a minuet with three trios, after each of which the minuet is repeated. (Bach Ges. xix. p. 27). We shall presently see that Mozart, half & century later, did the same thing.
The historic importance of the minuet arises from the fact that, unlike the other ancient dances, it has not become obsolete, but continues to hold a place in the symphony (the descendant of the old Suite), and in other large instrumental works written in the same form. The first composer to introduce the minuet into the symphony appears to have been Haydn; for in the works of this class which preceded his (those of C. P. E. Bach, Sammartini, and others) we find only three movements. And even with Haydn (as also in many of the earlier works of Mozart) we find the minuet at first by no means of invariable occurrence. On the other hand, we sometimes see in the same work two minuets, each with a trio, one before and one after the slow movement. Examples will be met with in Haydn's first twelve quartets (ops. 1 and 2) and also in some of Mozart's serenatas, divertimenti, etc. (Köchel's Catalogue, Nos. 63, 99, 204, 247, and others.) The detailed examination of the numerous minuets which Haydn has left us in his quartets and symphonies would be deeply interesting, but would lead us too far. Only a few of the prominent characteristics can be mentioned. While in general retaining the old form of the minuet, Haydn greatly changes its spirit. The original dance was stately in character, and somewhat slow. With Haydn its prevailing tone was light-hearted humour, sometimes even developing into downright fun. The time becomes quicker. While in the earlier works the most frequent indications are Allegretto, or Allegro ma non troppo, we find in the later quartets more than once a Presto (ops. 76 and 77). These minuets thus become an anticipation of the Beethoven scherzo. Curiously enough, in one set of quartets, and in only one (op. 33), Haydn designates this movement 'Scherzando,' in Nos. 1 and 2, and 'Scherzo' in Nos. 3 to 6. As the tempo here is not more rapid than in the other minuets, it is evident that the term only refers to the character of the music, and is not used in the modern sense. As we learn from Pohl's 'Haydn' (p. 332) that the composer carefully preserved the chronological order of the quartets in numbering them, we are in a position to trace the gradual development of the minuet through the entire series. We find one of Haydn's innovations in some of the later works, in putting the trio into a key more remote from that of the minuet, instead of into one of those more nearly related (Quartet in F, op. 72, No. 2—minuet in F, trio in D♭; Quartet in C, op. 74, No. 1—minuet in C, trio in A major). This relation of the tonics was a favourite one with Beethoven. In only one of Haydn's quartets (op. 9, No. 4), do we find a trio in three parts, though the name is always given to the second minuet. A curious variation from the ordinary form is to be seen in the quartet in E♭, op. 2, No. 3. Here the trio of the second minuet has three variations, one of which is played, instead of the original trio, after each repetition of the minuet.
It is no uncommon thing in the works of Haydn to meet with another variety of the minuet. The finales of his smaller works are often written in a 'Tempo di Minuetto.' Here the regular subdivisions of minuet and trio, sometimes also the double bars and repeats, are abandoned. In the piano sonatas and trios many examples will be met with. A well-known instance of a similar movement by Mozart is furnished in the finale of his sonata in F for piano and violin. Haydn's predilection for the minuet is further shown by the fact that in several of his sonatas in three movements the minuet and trio replace the slow movement, which is altogether wanting.
With Mozart the form of the minuet is identical with that of Haydn's; it is the spirit that is different. Suavity, tenderness, and grace, rather than overflowing animal spirits, are now the prevailing characteristics. It is in Mozart's concerted instrumental works (serenatas, etc.) that his minuets must be chiefly studied; curiously enough, they are singularly rare in his pianoforte compositions. Of seventeen solo sonatas, only two (those in E♭ and A major) contain minuets; while out of 42 sonatas for piano and violin, minuets are only found in four as intermediate movements, though in the earlier works a 'Tempo di Minuetto' often forms the finale. In many of the earlier symphonies also we find only three movements, and even in several of the later and finer symphonies (e.g. Köchel, Nos. 297, 338, 444, 504) the minuet is wanting. On the other hand, in the serenades and divertimenti, especial prominence is given to this movement. Frequently two minuets are to be found, and in some cases (Köchel, Nos. 100, 203, 250) three are to be met with. The variety of character and colouring in these minuets is the more striking as the form is approximately the same in all. One example will suffice in illustration. In the Divertimento in D (Köchel, 131), for strings, flute, oboe, bassoon, and four horns, there are two minuets, the first of which has three trios and the second two. The first minuet in D major is given to strings alone; the first trio (also in D major) is a quartet for the four horns; the second (in G) is a trio for flute, oboe, and bassoon; while the third (in D minor) is for the seven wind instruments in combination. After the last repetition of the minuet, a coda for all the instruments concludes the movement. The three trios are as strongly contrasted in musical character as in orchestral colour. Many similar instances might easily be given from the works of Mozart.
To Beethoven we owe the transformation of the minuet into the Scherzo. Even in his first works this alteration is made. Of the three piano trios, op. 1, the first and second have a scherzo, and only the third a minuet. The examination of the different varieties of the scherzo will be treated elsewhere (Scherzo); it will be sufficient here to explain that the difference between the minuet and the scherzo is one of character rather than of form. The time is frequently quicker; the rhythm is more varied (see, for instance, the scherzi in Beethoven's 4th Symphony, in the Sonata, op. 28, and in the Bagatelle, op. 33, No. 2); and sometimes, as in the 7th and 9th Symphonies, the form itself is enlarged. Still Beethoven does not entirely abandon the older minuet. Out of 63 examples of the minuet or scherzo (not counting those in common time) to be found in his works, 17 are entitled 'Minuet,' or 'Tempo di Minuetto.' Besides this, in two works (the Piano and Violin Sonata in G, op. 30, No. 3, and the Piano Solo Sonata in E♭, op. 31, No. 3), the Tempo di Minuetto takes the place of the slow movement; in the Sonata, op. 49, No. 2, it serves as finale (as with Haydn and Mozart); and in the Sonata, op. 54, the first movement is a Tempo di Minuetto. In these minuets we sometimes find a grace akin to that of Mozart (Sonata, op. 10, No. 3; Septet), sometimes, as it were, a reflexion of the humour of Haydn (Sonata, op. 22); but more often the purest individuality of Beethoven himself. In some cases a movement is entitled 'Minuet,' though its character is decidedly that of the scherzo (e.g. in the 1st Symphony). The only one of the nine symphonies in which a minuet of the old style is to be seen is No. 8. Occasionally we meet in Beethoven with minuets simply entitled 'Allegretto' (e.g. Sonata quasi Fantasia, op. 27, No. 2; Trio in E♭, op. 70, No. 2); in other cases the same term is used for what is in reality a veritable scherzo (Sonatas, op. 14, no. 1, op. 27, no. 1). It may be said that with Beethoven the minuet reached its highest development.
The transformation of the minuet into the scherzo, just adverted to, has had an important influence on modern composers. In the large majority of works produced since the time of Beethoven, the scherzo has replaced its predecessor. Occasionally the older form still appears, as in Mendelssohn's 'Italian Symphony,' the third movement of which is a genuine minuet, and in the second movement of Schumann's E♭ Symphony; but with Beethoven the history of the minuet practically closes. One of the best specimens of a modern minuet will be seen in Sterndale Bennett's Symphony in G minor.