Andante cantabile: At a walking pace, in a singing style

Written in three-part counterpoint, this piece evokes a string trio of violin, viola, and cello. Beethoven composed five string trios (or six, if including those scored for two violins and cello) between 1794 and 1798, a period relatively close to the composition dates of this No. 4 (1800-1804). It would not be far-fetched to imagine that the three-part texture was conceived with the sound of a string trio in mind.

The structure is a simple binary form. As the upper voice begins to sing a simple, folk-song-like melody, the middle voice harmonizes in sixths, followed by the lower voice playing a counter-melody. In the latter half, the upper voice plays innocently over the harmony supported by the middle and lower voices. It warmly captures a small happiness, like having one's heart cleansed by a sudden glance at the sky in daily life.