MINUET (Fr., small, diminutive of menu, from Lat. minutes, small, p.p. of mi acre, to diminish, from m in or,less ; connected with stnall. Skt. e to make small. (loth. minairo, r:er. minder, AS.. archaic Eng. win, ie.,: so called of the small steps taken in the dance). graceful and ly dance of Frencli origin. It is supposed to have originated in Poitou, and was introduced into Paris in 1650. The first known minuet tunes were written by Lolly (q.v.) in 1653. The minuet was a favorite at the C?airt of Louis XIV. and wax carried over into England in the reign of Charles II., whore it continued popular until the time ?if (:eorge 1I. In Russia it flour ished during the reigns of Peter the Great and Catharine 11. At first the minuet was in three quarter time and 4.msisted of two eight-bar Ca Ph of which was repeated. 7\lozart's minuet in Don Giovanni shows the form of the early dance. It was soon, however, extended by the addition of a second movement (written in three-part harmony and hence called Trio) and Iry the number of bars. Bach and
Handel often introduced the minuet into their suites. Those of the former are especially fa mous. and Handel also used it as a coneloding movement for operatie and oratorio overtures. The minuet is 44 particular importanee beerrase of the position it still ocenpies in the symphony, which is On evolution of the suite. Haydn was the first to employ it in the symphony. but he elini;LT,1 its eharacter by quickening the time and Makin rather than stalely. Mozart used lkydn's form. taining the rapid mpo, hut gate it 0 tender, graceful sirmifleanee. With Beethoven it's history practically een.r., for be transformed it into the seherzo. this making it an integral part of the symphony. its use by later i'otnpnsI'r.. Schumann. Mendelssolin, and others. is comparatively rare. See DANctxn: