binary form was most commonly used in the baroque era for short dances called minuets. the minuet's two parts are usually labeled as "a" and "b." in the a section of a minuet, the exposition is stated. this section almost always is repeated a couple times. the beginning part of the b section develops a slightly new musical idea, usually going to the dominant key, to add variation. then it returns to the "a" key at the end. some famous composers of minuets include johann sebastian bach and george frideric handel.