AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

Minuet and Trio Form

Minuet and Trio form has a special type of compound temary design (in which
each of the sections has its own small form):

  • Minuet (an aristocratic dance in 3/4 meter)
    • This section usually has a strong downbeat, and has a binary design
      in which each sub-section is repeated.
  • Trio (the texture is usually reduced to three structural lines)
    • The "Trio" is noticeably lighter and sweeter than the Minuet.
      (As in the Minuet, each sub-section is repeated).
  • Minuet (returns without repeats)
    • Before 1800, Minuet and Trio was the traditional form used in third movements
      of 4-movement Classic instrumental works.

Scherzo & Trio Form

After 1800, Beethoven and other politically-minded composers replaced the
aristocratic "Minuet" with a heavier "folk-derived" dance in 6/8 meter called a
scherzo (which means "a common joke" in Italian), creating a similar design
called Scherzo and Trio form (the standard 3rd movement form of the late
Classic period).

AttachmentSize
Image icon minuet&trio.gif8.98 KB
Subject: 
Subject X2: 

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!