The third movement of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 18, Op. 31, No. 3, is a gentle Minuetto in E-flat major. Marked Moderato e grazioso, it sets a connected upper melody over moving inner notes and held bass tones. A more detached Trio contrasts low and high chords before the minuet returns. A short, quiet coda completes the movement.

Minuet: A dotted pickup introduces the melody. The right hand often holds the top note while smaller notes move beneath it, and the left hand combines sustained bass tones with a more active middle voice. These layers give the passage a songlike texture within its three-four rhythm. The opening phrase is written out again with small changes. A contrasting section then continues the melody through different harmonies, with first and second endings guiding its repeat. Occasional ornamental notes decorate the upper line without interrupting the calm pace.

Trio: The Trio changes to short low chords answered by higher, more sustained chords. Accents and pauses make these exchanges more pointed than the connected minuet. Both parts of the Trio are repeated. The score also gives this section a slightly quicker metronome marking, adding motion while keeping the three-beat pattern.

Return and coda: The minuet is written out again under Tempo I, with repeat signs and alternate endings. Its upper melody and moving inner voices restore the opening texture. The coda brings back the dotted melodic gesture over detached bass notes and inner chords. The phrase gradually subsides through a calando marking and closes very quietly.

Interesting fact: This edition marks the minuet at quarter note = 88 and the Trio at quarter note = 96, then explicitly restores the original tempo for the minuet’s return.