The title of the work refers to the four sections of the orchestra and the four harmonic sections dividing each movement.
The work consists of the following movements:
Strings (with winds and brass) (♩ = 80)
Percussion (♩ = 80)
Winds and brass (with strings) (♩ = 120)
Full orchestra (♩ = 180)
The original idea for The Four Sections was suggested by Tilson Thomas in terms of a Concerto for Orchestra. Reich's approach to the concept of a Concerto for Orchestra was explicitly different from that of Bartok's 'soloist versus orchestra' piece. Instead, Reich saw the orchestra as a means to explore further the ideas presented in works like Six Marimbas and Violin Phase, where identical instruments are interlocked.[1]