• We find the three main motives in the first measure: red, blue, and green motives.
• The blue and green motives are related by their eighth-note rhythm.
• In the second measure, we modulate to D major.

• Back to G major in measure 3.
• D major at the end of measure 5.

• On the second beat of measure 6, we return to G major.
• From measure 7, the violins and violas play in unison. The cellos and continuo join them from the second beat.

The red motif will undergo numerous variations through the movement. This video shows how the theme develops from the red motif:

Measures 1 to 8:

A Far Cry
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• Development begins.
• Violas and cellos in divisi imitate the violins.
• We modulate to D major in measure 10.

• In measure 10, the violins develop in unison a motive that the viola presented in measure 2. A canon begins between the violins from the second beat.
• The violas play the red motive.

• The violins play in unison material based on the red motif.
• The violas double to the sixth and then move to the green motif.
• The red motive passes to the cellos and continuo.
• The section ends by affirming the key of D major.

Measures 8 to 15:

A Far Cry
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• The first violin is the principal soloist in measures 23 and 24. The first viola imitates it in measures 24 and 25.
• The thematic material comes from measures 2 and 3 of the theme.
• The violas and violins present a variant of the green motive (dashed box, measures 23 and 24), and then the violins (24-25).
• The other instruments use the red motive.
• A long tonic chord becomes a dominant chord in measure 25, and we modulate to G major.

• The previous process is repeated, but this time with the second violin and second viola as soloists.
• We modulate now to C major.
• We have moved by fourths: D - G - C.

• The violins develop the red motif.
• The violas imitate the violins.
• The passage concludes by affirming the key of C major.

Measures 23 to 31:

A Far Cry
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• The first violin is the principal soloist. It develops a motive from the second bar of the theme.
• Violins II and III accompany using the red motive.
• In unison, cellos, and continuo, violas establish a tonic pedal.

• In measure 50, we modulate to D major, but in measure 51, we are surprised by a diminished vii degree of the E minor key.
• Violin II assumes the role of soloist from the end of measure 50, and violins I and III accompany using the red motive.

In measure 54, the red motive passes from the violins to the violas and cellos.

The passage concludes by affirming the key of E minor. It is the first minor key in the movement.

Measures 46 to 58:

A Far Cry
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• The violas are the principal soloists in measures 58 to 60. They enter in canon form using thematic material from measure 10.
• We modulate to A major in measure 60.

• The process is repeated with the violins as principal soloists.
• We modulate to D major. Again we follow a movement of fourths: E - A - D.

• In measure 62, the cellos take on the role of soloists.
• The violins answer (measure 64), followed by the violas and cellos.
• We modulate to G major, prolonging the movement by fourths (E - A - D - G).

From measure 70 on, the red, blue, and green motifs reappear in the violas, cellos, and continuo.

The key of B minor is affirmed.

A short coda at measure 74 concludes this section.

Measures 58 to 77:

A Far Cry
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• We return to G major.
• Violin II presents the first bars of the theme, while violin I plays a counterpoint (black box).
• The violas serve as bass to the violins with an eighth-note movement (dashed box).
• In measure 80, the instruments exchange thematic material, the violas are imitated by the cellos, and we modulate to D major.

• In measure 82, violin I presents thematic material taken from the theme.
• It is imitated in measure 83 by violin II.

• We arrive at G major, passing through E minor.
• The imitations between the different instruments continue.

A series of dominants leads us through different keys.

• We reach A minor in measure 90.
• The first violin, as a soloist, develops material from the theme.
• The other violins insist on the red motive.
• The violas insist with eighth notes on the bass of the cellos and continuo.

A pedal tone of E, A minor dominant, starts in measure 93.

• The key of A minor is affirmed in measure 97.
• Very effective use of the red motive in the form of a canon between violins and violas from measure 97 onwards brings us to a climactic point.
• The green motive reappears in the continuo, reinforced by all the instruments.

• The section concludes in A minor.
• Once more, Bach runs through the modulations of measures 58 to 77 in reverse order, adding a final A minor.

Measures 77 to 101:

A Far Cry
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• The violins present the blue motif, while the violas develop the theme motif.
• The red motive in the cellos.
• We modulate to E minor, and the instruments exchange thematic material.

• We return to G major at measure 106.

• We modulate to D major in measure 107.
• Measure 108 begins a harmonic progression that will take us to G minor.

The progression turns out to be ascending (D - G - E - A) and takes us to the vii degree of G minor in measure 112.

• The cellos assume the role of soloists in measure 114.
• Note the inversion of the first notes of the motive in the cellos. Bach modifies the motive since the cellos could not play the B. In addition, it should be a B flat, forming an augmented second.
• Violins and violas insist on the red motive.

A pedal tone of D, G major dominant, starts in measure 115.

Finally, we arrive at G minor at measure 119. The climactic point is similar to that of measures 97 onwards.

The section ends by affirming the key of G minor.

Measures 101 to 126:

A Far Cry
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