Initially this seems the most conventional of C.P.E. Bach's four symphonies catalogued under Wotquenne 183. The Allegro assai consists of a serious though fast opening theme, contrasted with a more subdued second melody (with the first theme's rhythm always lurking in the background). By movement's end, however, the composer has inserted his trademark giggly little repetitions and unexpected pauses. The movement is too brief to accommodate a regular development, but the ultimately fragmented nature of C.P.E. Bach's music makes it seem all development.

Oboes, bassoons, and horns are silent in the slow movement, Poco andante, the most extended in this set of symphonies. Like many of the composer's slow movements, this has a processional nature, though a hesitant one, with the dynamics, pulse, and string textures in constant flux. Skipping, as usual, the traditional Minuet, the final Presto takes off with a hunting-horn motif and gallops after its thematic quarry, although Bach's musical horses seem easily distracted; the music moves forward and halts, presses ahead then lingers over some small, distracting phrase. Whatever emotive effect Bach produces, he disrupts within a few bars, keeping listeners constantly surprised even though he works with very few thematic devices.

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