How did Haydn and Beethoven transform the minuet into a scherzo?

The transformation of the minuet into the scherzo was a gradual evolution in musical form, primarily driven by the innovations of Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven.

• Haydn’s Contribution: While the minuet was traditionally a stately, aristocratic dance, Haydn began to infuse his minuets with abrupt rhythms and unexpected dynamic shifts that anticipated the character of the scherzo. In his Russian Quartets (Opus 33), he explicitly used the term "scherzo" to describe these more spirited movements.1
• Beethoven’s Development: Beethoven further solidified this transition by replacing the minuet with the scherzo in nearly all of his symphonies. While he did not always label them as such, these movements maintained the traditional ABA form (minuet/scherzo–trio–minuet/scherzo) but were distinguished by a much faster tempo, exuberant energy, and a greater emphasis on brilliant orchestration and surprising dynamic contrasts.12

By moving away from the moderate, dance-like pace of the 18th-century minuet, these composers created a movement defined by its swiftness and dramatic intensity, which became a standard feature of 19th-century symphonic composition.1