Similar to Op. 109, the work is structured with a concise and compact first movement in sonata form, contrasted by an expansive third movement in the form of a free fugue. Although it reached a provisional completion by the end of 1821, further revisions to the finale resulted in its final completion around the spring of 1822.

First Movement

3/4 time, A-flat major, Sonata form

The lyrical principal theme consists of the first four measures in four-part writing with dotted rhythms, followed by six measures where a simple harmonic accompaniment supports a singing melody. After a transition featuring arpeggios (from m. 12), the subordinate theme (from m. 28) appears in the dominant key.

The development section (from m. 40) is constructed from the motive of the first four measures of the principal theme, passing through F minor, D-flat major, and B-flat minor, before reaching the tonic key of A-flat major in the recapitulation (from m. 56).

The principal theme is recapitulated, accompanied by the arpeggiated figure from the transition, and its latter half shifts to the subdominant key. After a transition in E major (from m. 70), the subordinate theme is recapitulated in the tonic key. In the coda, the arpeggios from the transition reappear, and the movement concludes amidst their lingering resonance.

Second Movement

2/4 time, F minor

A scherzo-like movement in three-part form. The middle section shifts to D-flat major, and in contrast to the main section where chordal movement plays a central role, two-part writing for bass and soprano becomes central. The Picardy third in the coda serves as a dominant leading into the beginning of the third movement.

Third Movement

Introduction: 4/4 time / Fugue: A-flat major, 6/8 time

The concluding chord of the previous movement functions as a dominant, and the Adagio introduction, which begins in B-flat minor, leads into a recitative, followed by the “Klagender Gesang” (Lamenting Song) in A-flat minor. In contrast to the highly vocal introduction, the main fugue is not in an old vocal style but is a free three-voice fugue in a highly instrumental style.

In the middle section (from m. 114), the “Klagender Gesang” returns in G minor, and the latter half, which encloses this, shifts to G major, where the fugue is built upon the inverted form of the subject. It soon transitions to G minor, and from there, gradually departs from the contrapuntal style, returning to the tonic key of A-flat major and developing into a motivic elaboration of the fugue subject, thus concluding the work.