The 6 Minuets for Piano (Sześć menuetów) are a set of short dance pieces composed by Maria Szymanowska, first published in 1819. They represent one of the earliest published piano collections by a Polish composer and offer a refined example of the early 19th-century salon style, combining Classical balance with emerging Romantic expression.

Background

Maria Szymanowska (1789–1831) was one of the first professional female pianists and composers in Europe. Active in Warsaw, St. Petersburg, and Paris, she was celebrated both as a performer and for her elegant keyboard works written for the domestic salon. Szymanowska was a prominent figure in the musical life of her time, and her compositions, including polonaises and mazurkas, are considered to have influenced Frédéric Chopin.

The 6 Minuets were published in 1819 by Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig, during a productive period when Szymanowska composed and issued several sets of dances, nocturnes, and polonaises for piano. They reflect her growing reputation as a composer of accessible yet sophisticated piano music and were likely intended for amateur pianists from the Polish aristocracy.

Structure

The set consists of six individual minuets in contrasting keys and moods, all written for solo piano:

• Minuet No. 1 in A minor

• Minuet No. 2 in G minor

• Minuet No. 3

• Minuet No. 4 in G minor

• Minuet No. 5

• Minuet No. 6 in D minor

While specific tempo markings for all minuets are not consistently documented across all sources, a recorded performance indicates the following tempos:

1. Allegretto

2. Quasi allegro

3. Moderato

4. Vivace agitato

5. Allegro

6. Vivace

A complete performance lasts approximately 10–12 minutes.