This scherzo is broadly divisible into five sections, ABABA. If applied to traditional schemata, section A can be seen as the main section and section B in G major as the trio. However, the correspondence between the sections is weak, and their structures differ significantly from each other.

It is a perpetual motion movement without a general pause from beginning to end. The quick, light movements of the string instruments, generally subdued in dynamics, create what is known as Mendelssohn's "elfin scherzo" (the scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream being a prime example). In terms of figuration and melodic assignment, two string instruments are treated as a pair for most of the movement, but the piano, which moves independently of the strings, does not stand out. Rather, large, sweeping movements from the piano are avoided, and it blends in with the rustling string instruments.

Focusing on the formal aspects, each section is further divided into several smaller parts, and individual parts have a simple structure where the same figuration is periodically repeated. However, in contrast to the clear and periodic divisions within each part, the boundaries between larger sections are indistinct, giving the impression that one section has already begun before one realizes it. One reason for this is likely the way transitions are handled: within the continuous flow of perpetual motion, subtle changes are introduced to persistently repeated motives, or new motives are added at the end of repeated phrases, gradually modifying the preceding music. When the opening of section A returns, imitative writing also contributes to the indistinctness of the divisions.