4 in C minor, Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ4,[1] was completed by Alfred Hill on 25 July 1916 in Neutral Bay, Sydney (indicated in the manuscript).
[2] The Finale originates also from the Leipzig years, when it was composed as Rondo for cello or violin and piano.
The first subject, a resolute ascending and descending theme in C minor, is stated by the cello and repeated then by the viola.
[citation needed] The second subject is a much more quiet idea in the parallel key of E-flat major played by the violins.
It is linked to a rather modest development section in which this theme investigates different tonalities before coming to an abrupt stop.
At the end of this section the violin pizzicato's appear again leading straight to a shortened recapitulation of both subjects (the second in C major this time).
Its first theme, set by the viola, is in A-flat major, with two characteristic syncopations at the head.
It consists of an 8-bar statement, an 8-bar contrasting section (based on the previous) and an 8-bar concluding restatement, that is loosely entwined with the further section: after 8 additional bars serving as a transition (with a first violin passage) the theme is heard a tone higher, in G major.
Another transitory section arrives and brings the "right" tonality, allowing the theme to be stated another time, in an altered way.
It is written in a sonata rondo form lacking a proper development section.