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Brahms · Johannes Brahms

Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor

The last symphony, written where even cherries don't ripen

Key
E minor
Composed
1885
Premiere
1885 Meiningen
Duration
About 41 min
Movements
4 movements
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 2·2·2·2 (second flute doubles piccolo, + contrabassoon) · Brass 4·2·3·0 · Timpani · Percussion (triangle) · Strings

The story behind this piece

Brahms's last symphony was written over two summers, 1884 and 1885, in the Austrian Alpine resort of Mürzzuschlag. In a letter he joked, "The cherries here never ripen," a playful bit of mock worry that the piece might sound sour.

Before the official premiere, Brahms played the piece for friends on two pianos with his friend Ignaz Brüll. The story goes that the critic Hanslick, who turned the pages, said when the first movement ended, "I felt as if I'd been beaten up by two terribly clever people."

Brahms himself conducted the court orchestra at the premiere in Meiningen on October 25, 1885. The fourth movement is a passacaglia built on a bass line taken from the final chaconne of Bach's Cantata BWV 150, stacking up a short theme through 30 variations. It's a very rare form for a symphony finale.

Of Brahms's four symphonies, this is the only one that ends in a minor key. Instead of ending brightly in a major key, it closes tragically in E minor.

What to listen for

  • Opening of the first movement: with no preparation, the violins begin with a melody that descends in thirds like a "sigh."
  • Third movement: the only Brahms symphony movement with a triangle and piccolo. It's the liveliest, most exhilarating movement.
  • Fourth movement: if you keep the eight-bar theme the winds play in your ear, you can follow how it changes shape 30 times.

Listen · Score

Credits