The piece is in three movements (fast–slow–fast) and is organized harmonically on four dominant chords in minor keys a minor third apart—E minor, G minor, B-flat minor, C-sharp minor—and then returning to E minor to form a cycle.
The composition is divided into three phases (fast-slow-fast) and is structured harmonically on four major chords in related minor keys—E minor, G minor, B-flat minor, C-sharp minor—and then returns to E minor to form a circular pattern.