Bach's music often builds tension as it progresses, and a characteristic of his writing is typically an increase in smaller note values towards the end. This second movement is quite the opposite; the smaller note values that appear at the beginning are absent in the latter half.

Presumably, the opening four measures (first half) begin quietly with an improvisatory feel. By the third measure, the number of voices increases from two to four, and the volume also rises. At this point, prioritizing the audibility of notes with longer durations (not small note values) makes the music clearer. In the case of the fourth measure, it is effective to emphasize the bass's sixteenth notes and the tenor's sixteenth notes.

In the fifth measure, the thirty-second notes disappear, and the music becomes a weighty four-voice texture of sixteenth notes. D-sharp and F-sharp are introduced, and in the sixth measure, borrowed chords appear, further increasing the tension.

In the seventh measure, the ascending thirds in the left hand further heighten the tension, leading to the cadenza between measures 8 and 9. Regarding this two-measure cadenza, some recordings incorporate improvisatory elements, playing notes not written in the score; please listen to them for reference.