Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op.

98 (1884 1885)
Johannes Brahms (1833 1897)
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Andante moderato
III. Allegro giocoso
IV. Allegro energico e passionato
Brahms, intimidated by Beethovens shadow, was reluctant to write
symphonies. He was 43 before he wrote his First (1876); the sunnier,
congenial Second followed in 1877. The Third, dated 1883, was well
received. His Fourth, eagerly anticipated, premired in Meinigen on October
25, 1885. The work commanded respect, for Brahms was by then a leading
European composer, and his violinist friend Joachim was enthusiastic about
it, but most were disappointed; where were the happiness, the sunny
radiance, and the warmth of the Second and Third Symphonies? The
anti-Brahms faction accused him of composing a grim dissertation on
classical form rather than a work for the public to enjoy. Most missed the
point; Brahms returned to the classical ideal of structural perfection in which
lucid texture and purity of line displace ostentatious color. Like most classic
composers, Brahms chose for this work a few incisive themes with
fragments that do not initially reveal their full potentialities. Eventually,
however, the Fourth Symphony was accepted. It was given again at Brahms
last concert; after each movement, the composer, by then terminally ill with
cancer, was greeted with a storm of applause in a final, touching tribute to
the great master.
The first movement begins immediately with the complete main theme,
first in the violins and then, more warmly, in the orchestra. Woodwind and
horns introduce the second subject; the second part is played first by cellos
and horns, with pizzicato violin accompaniment, and then as a soaring violin
melody. The development centers principally around the first theme. The
recapitulation begins with a restatement of the first subjects first four notes,
and all the themes are recalled.
In the second movement, two horns, joined by woodwind in the second
and third bars, present the main theme; this then moves to clarinets and
bassoons, with pizzicato string accompaniment, where it undergoes
extension and modification. The strings present a sensuous version of it, and
after a transition passage, the cellos present the second theme with delicate

violin accompaniment. In the development section, both themes are

prominent; the coda is built from the first theme.
In the third movement, a scherzo, the full orchestra presents the main
subject; later, violins and woodwinds play subsequent themes. The happy
mood is maintained as the themes recur several times. The finale, a
passacaglia based on a theme from Bachs cantata Nach Dir, Herr,
verlanget mich (BWV 150), is a series of variations on a theme heard
repeatedly in the bass. Brass and woodwinds present the ground bass; there
follow 30 variations in which the theme is presented as a melody, an
accompaniment, or a contrapuntal counter-theme. Brahms disguises the
theme so cleverly that finding it, or its variations, is frequently difficult.
Each variation comprises eight bars, and after the fifteenth variation the
original ground bass theme is recalled. The following variations are grander
in style and faster in tempo as Brahms builds the movement to a dramatic
climax. An impressive ritardando begins the coda, a final variation with
great solemnity.
Ted Wilks, 2011