The tempo is a crucial consideration for this prelude. It is marked Largo, with a metronome marking of eighth note = 72. It is uncertain who added this metronome marking—whether it was the composer himself or an editor—and whether this tempo is truly appropriate for modern pianos.

Not only for Lyadov, but also for composers like Franz Liszt and Beethoven, the tempos in their works often reflect their unique judgment and writing 'habits,' which performers must understand. Ultimately, the determination of the most appropriate tempo is often left to the performer.

There are surprisingly slow performances of this prelude, some played around eighth note = 60. This leads to a discussion of the characteristics of the piano as an instrument: unlike string or other instruments, the piano cannot sustain a sound indefinitely. Once a key is depressed, the sound gradually decays, regardless of how firmly it is held down.

Let us assume this prelude is performed at, for instance, eighth note = 60. In such a case, the melody line includes half notes, and in some measures, these half notes are tied over to the next bar.

At this tempo (60), a single half note would last approximately 4 seconds. While a piano can certainly sustain a sound for about 4 seconds, the inner voice in the right hand, consisting of eighth notes, often progresses in thirds and serves an accompanying role.

If this prelude is performed at an excessively slow tempo, a phenomenon occurs where the melody line appears to lose its sustain due to the inner voice (even if the notes are technically sustained, their presence is obscured by the inner voice). This is one issue. Another issue is that this inner voice can sound remarkably rigid. Consequently, the music loses its horizontal flow and becomes fragmented vertically.

The author, for one, neither performs nor recommends this prelude at an extremely slow tempo. At least eighth note = 90 is desired.

This prelude is an expression of sorrow. From measure 23, a morendo marking appears, and the continuous eighth-note inner voice, interrupted by a quarter rest in measure 25, depicts the gradual fading of life.