Brahms 4, Movement 2

0:00 (m.2) The bassoons are added to the horns. While the bassoon timbre can hardly be heard, the sound is obviously strengthened. This same strengthening-though-unheard effect frequently occurs with the bassoon, especially when doubling cellos at a louder dynamic. 0:18 (mm.4-5ff) These clarinets almost sound like horns. I wonder if it has to do with this clarinet/bassoon combination--the pure (clarinet) combining with the more nasaly double-reed sound. Interesting that Brahms switches the voicing of the same second inversion E major chord on consecutive downbeats in mm.5 & 6. First the bassoons take the low B and the second clarinet takes the E. Next time they switch. 0:37 (m.9) Flutes are below the solo clarinet. Without oboes, the sound is very mellow here. Clarinets and bassoons seem to be linked in this movement. 1:07 (mm.15-16) All winds are "a2" now. Brahms seems to use "a2" when dynamic is loud, solo writing when dynamic is softer. 3:07 (m.41) At Rehearsal C, what do the bassoons add here? Why did Brahms add only them to the strings? They double the violas, which have a counter-line to the main melody (cellos), and when violas go into their lower register, the bassoons become more noticeable. 3:47 (m.50) Interesting 4-note melodic fragment in the clarinet, answered by the bassoons a measure later. 4:09 (m.55) Here we get flute, clarinet, bassoon doubling in three octaves, the scoring Adler says is a Mozart favorite. And it sounds Mozartean! 4:50 (m.64) At Rehearsal D the flutes descend, then clarinets follow. The clarinets are much less prominent than the flutes. Perhaps the players hold back because their descending line runs into the register of the main melody (violas)?? 6:39 (m.88) We get the same theme as m.41, but this time with no bassoon doubling. Here it is at a forte dynamic rather than the piano dynamic of m.41. Why does Brahms leave out the bassoons here?? 7:52 (m.103) Back to clarinets, bassoons & horns--a combination that opened the movement. Here we see how orchestration can serve to articulate large scale form. This combination marks a return to, and a connection with, the opening.