Stately dances for two in moderate triple time, often taking the overall form of minuet-trio-minuet. The musical form was included in operas, Classical chamber works, and symphonies. The minuet originated in France and dominated aristocratic European ballrooms, particularly in France and England, from ca. 1650 to ca. 1750; over time, the dances became increasingly complex and stylized. Reputedly derived from the French folk dance "branle de Poitou." Some forms of the dance acquired more specific names, notably the "minuet de la cour." The court minuet used smaller steps and became slower and increasingly etiquette-laden and spectacular. It was especially popular at the court of Louis XIV of France.
