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The contrasting middle section of a minuet or scherzo.
Printed as the heading over the middle section of a minuet, scherzo or march, often after a Fine that closes the first section; at its end, Menuetto da capo, D.C. or Scherzo da capo sends the player back.
The name comes from the old practice of scoring this middle section for three instruments, such as two oboes and bassoon. A trio usually lightens the texture, changes key or mode and relaxes the motion before the main section returns. Contrast is the point, but keep the metre and dance character so the return makes sense.
Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331, second movement (Menuetto), m. 49: “TRIO” at p, directly after the Menuetto’s “Fine” in m. 48.
Trio is one of 1755 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary: the words, abbreviations and instrument names that appear in printed scores, plus the vocabulary composers use to talk about them.
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