ɹˈɑːbɚt kˈʌmɪŋz ʌv ˈɔːl mjˈuːzɪk kˈɑːmɛnts ðætðə sˈɔŋ "fˈiːtʃɚz wˈʌn ʌv bˈɜːnstaɪnz mˈoːɹ mˈɛmɚɹəbəl mˈɛlədiz: ɪts fˈɜːst fˈoːɹ nˈoʊts, dᵻlˈɪʃəsli ɹˈɪðmɪk ɪn ðɛɹ ɹˈaɪzɪŋ kˈɑːntʊɹ, ɹᵻpˈiːt, ðˈɛn ɑːɹ ɹᵻdˈuːst tə θɹˈiː, ðˈɛn tə tˈuː.
Robert Cummings of AllMusic comments that the song "features one of Bernstein's more memorable melodies: its first four notes, deliciously rhythmic in their rising contour, repeat, then are reduced to three, then to two.