The Prelude (Moderato con moto, completed December 20, 1950) is entirely structured around the interplay between a flowing melody played in the uppermost voice and echoing accompanying chords. It evokes a Romantic warmth and emotion.

The Fugue (5 voices, Adagio, completed December 22, 1950) is based on a restrained subject, sparse in notes and narrow in melodic range. As the only 5-voice fugue in the collection, it boasts a texture so rich that nearly half of the piece is notated on three staves. Particularly in the stretto section of the latter half of the piece, the compression and simultaneous presentation of the subject gradually but steadily build to a climax.