Although it is performed at a wide variety of tempos, the basic instruction is "Un poco Largo," meaning "a little slowly," so extremely fast tempos should be avoided. Some performers suddenly increase the tempo from the fourth measure, but this should not be done; the tempo should remain consistent.

This movement is fundamentally in four voices and should be imagined as being sung by a choir divided into four groups.

In the Classical period, the prevailing trend in sonata form was for the first movement to be the most important. Beethoven, however, introduced a new concept of programmatic music, imbuing the work with a narrative that develops as it progresses beyond the first movement. Consequently, the final movement became the most significant.

This work by Bach is extremely rare, and in that sense, it represents a form of "programmatic music" conceived even before Beethoven.

In contrast to the profound sorrow of the third movement, please consider this movement as depicting bright and humorous aspects.