It consists of four parts: a toccata-like introduction, an arioso-like Adagio, a fugue titled "Presto e Staccato" (rapidly and detached), a recitative-like transitional section, and a fugue with a chromatic subject.

The first transitional section, the Adagio, is written in an archaic 3/2 meter, but the tempo is by no means particularly slow. It is richly interspersed with chromaticism and traverses various keys.

Subsequently, the fugue subject, which simply descends diatonically, is unusually simple for Bach, yet it is extremely clear and full of energy. The second transitional section repeatedly uses almost the same rhythmic figure, and its harmonic progression is in a minor key, making it sound somewhat redundant.

The final fugue has a chaconne-like rhythm and a subject that descends a fourth chromatically. This theme sounds almost like a lament bass, imbuing the fugue with a sense of melancholy.