Petrushka is a tragic tale, often described as the 'Russian Pinocchio,' in which a puppet with a human heart yearns to be human but can never become one.

 To express Petrushka's nature as a puppet, the music needs to reproduce somewhat awkward movements. This is achieved through the three eighth notes and an eighth rest in the left-hand accompaniment. By placing an eighth rest and creating a break, the flow is interrupted, expressing the puppet's clumsy movements.

 The main key is G minor, with a partial modulation to the relative major, B-flat major, from measure 3. It then returns to the main key of G minor, and measure 5, upon returning to the main key, is a powerful forte, eventually concluding via a poignant II7 chord in measure 7 (where the root and seventh are superimposed in the upper voice, forming a major second interval to further evoke a sense of pathos). This sequence of events can be interpreted as the progression of Petrushka's emotions, allowing for a relatively free imagination of the narrative along this flow.

 For instance, when the music partially modulates to B-flat major, one might imagine Petrushka 'once having a bright dream of becoming human, but upon returning to the main key, realizing that it was not to be in reality.' Even when expressing the same sadness, the powerful forte from measures 5 to 6 could represent 'frustration at things not going well,' and the mezzoforte in measure 7 could depict 'the fading of strength.' By developing the narrative along the musical structure, one can gain hints for more specific expressive methods.

 The most characteristic chord is undoubtedly the II7 chord in measure 7. As mentioned earlier, it creates a dissonant second interval between the root and the seventh, making the expression of sadness more palpable. To express this chord effectively, it is advisable to not enter immediately from the previous measure, but rather to introduce a slight pause (ma) or other expressive nuances.