Two autograph manuscripts remain. Of these, the one preserved in Dresden contains the fugue written only partially. As it does not take the form of a collection of pieces or a music notebook, it is unclear what plans Bach had for this work.Book II of The Well-Tempered Clavier, and its non-realization might be due to the piece's brilliant atmosphere.

The whole piece is divided into two parts and has an orderly form. It begins with a highly attractive theme where arpeggiated motifs in both hands form an X-shape. This four-bar theme gains notes each time it appears (this method of thematic elaboration is called "spinning out"). In the latter half of the first part, hand crossing occurs, creating an X-shape on the keyboard as well. In the second part, which begins on the dominant, the various elements that would form an X-shape are reconfigured in various ways. After a section of hand crossing, the theme is recapitulated in the tonic key. This progression resembles the exposition-development-recapitulation structure of sonata form. Indeed, similar to later sonatas, there is a section before the recapitulation that remains in the dominant key (G minor), preparing for the recapitulation (such sections are generally called transitions).

Another characteristic of this piece is its chromaticism. However, the sense of pathos filled with expressions of suffering, as seen in other works by Bach, does not appear here. This is probably due to the steady rhythm of the theme.

The ensuing fugue begins subtly with a short chromatic theme, but gradually increases in speed, progressing into a dynamic development section combining sixteenth-note runs and leaps exceeding an octave. The Dresden autograph manuscript breaks off where the runs and the theme combine. Furthermore, the presence of a repeat sign in measure 5 and a fermata indicating a final cadence in measure 35 suggests a large-scale conception involving a da capo. It is truly regrettable that this piece has not survived in its complete form.