description Brahms: Symphony No. 4 Overview
Johannes Brahms completed Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98, in 1885. The four-movement symphony ends with a passacaglia built from a theme associated with the final movement of Bach's Cantata No.
150, Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich. Its orchestral writing combines late Romantic harmonic tension with tightly controlled variation and development, making it suited to concert performance and detailed score study.
help Brahms: Symphony No. 4 FAQ
What is unusual about the finale of Brahms's Symphony No. 4?
The finale is a passacaglia built from a theme associated with Bach's Cantata BWV 150, Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich. Brahms develops the material through 30 variations and a concluding coda.
When did Brahms write his Fourth Symphony?
Brahms composed it in 1885, and it is his final symphony. The work is in E minor and is catalogued as Op. 98.
Where was Brahms's Symphony No. 4 premiered?
The first performance took place in Meiningen in 1885 with the Meiningen Court Orchestra. Brahms himself conducted the premiere after testing the score in a reduced two-piano version.
Why does Symphony No. 4 sound so tightly constructed?
Brahms continually reshapes small rhythmic and melodic cells across all four movements. The passacaglia finale gives that process an especially concentrated form, with each variation growing from the Bach-derived bass theme.
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