In the first measure, Bach presents all the thematic material of the movement. Violin I begins with a motive (a) in sixteenth notes:

It continues with the motif transformed by inversion (b) to form the subject or theme:

The violin is imitated by violin II, followed by violin III, doubled by the violas, and finally by the cellos and continuo:

An eighth note motif in the violas serves as a bass for the subject:

After presenting the subject, each instrument develops a counterpoint formed by the eighth and sixteenth note motives:

Variations of the eighth-note motif complete the exposition:

After exposition, a march or episode takes us to D major.

• The cellos present the subject following the original order of motives (a and b).
• The first violin uses them in reverse order, motive b followed by a. The motives form an excellent counterpoint between them.
• The other instruments use variations of the eighth and sixteenth note motives.
• The march of fourths and fifths (G - C - F# - B - E - E - A - D) leads to D major in measure 4.
• The viola immediately introduces the subject. Its first two notes are F -E instead of D - C. This variant is used several times in the movement, probably to reinforce the third of the chord.

• The violas II and III imitate viola I, followed by the violins and cellos for a new presentation of the subject.
• On the third beat of measure 6, a march begins similar to the one we saw in measures 3 and 4, which will take us to the major.

• In measure 8, we reach A major, but a G natural in the first violin and viola immediately brings us back to D major.
• A movement of semiquavers in the form of arpeggios in violins I and II begins in measure 8.

Arpeggios in semiquavers extend to all instruments except cellos.

Part A ends by affirming the key of the dominant (D major).

Measures 8 to 12:

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• Part B begins in D major. The cellos and continuo present the subject and extend it (dashed frame).
• We move to E minor in measure 14. The subject passes to the violas. Bach transforms the first two notes into G and F# (instead of E - D#) to have the third of the E minor chord in one of the voices.
• Notice how the instruments exchange thematic material: violins to cellos, violas to violins, and cellos to violas.
• We reach the key of E minor in measures 15 and 16.

Once in E minor, the instruments present the subject like the first measures of the A part:

A march similar to the previous ones takes us to B minor, and the viola I presents the subject with its first notes transformed in measure 20:

The subject presentations continue. In measure 22, third beat, the march of fourths and fifths begins:

The march always led us to modulate an ascending fifth. This march takes us to F# major, but the F# is used as the dominant of B minor. It begins a passage similar to the last measures of section A that will affirm the key of B minor:

The semiquaver arpeggios increase the intensity of the passage:

The key of B minor is affirmed on the third beat of measure 28:

Measures 13 to 28:

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Measures 28 to 36 will take us from B minor to C major, passing through E and A minor. The following is a harmonic analysis of the passage:

• Measures 28 and 30: an ascending march takes us from B minor to A minor, passing through E minor (B - E - A).
• Measure 31: The iv degree of A minor is used as the ii degree of C, and we modulate to C major. It is a march of fourths and fifths.
• Measures 33 to 36: the key of C major is affirmed.

Measures 28 to 36:

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Final measures:

• When reaching C major, the subjects reappear in the following order: viola I, viola II, violins, and cellos.
• In measures 39 to 40, the march of fourths and fifths brings us back to G major in measure 40.
• The last presentation of the subjects in measures 41 and 42, followed by the march of fourths and fifths, leads to a G-dominant pedal that prepares the final measures.

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