Following Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28, which Scriabin admired in his youth, this collection is structured around the circle of fifths through combinations of relative keys. The 24 pieces were not composed all at once. They are a compilation of works composed during two Western European tours in 1895 and the following year, and those composed prior to that period. The score was published in 1897 in separate volumes, each containing six pieces.

No. 1 in C major, 2/2 time, Vivace

Composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 23 years old. It employs cross-phrasing where the third note of a quintuplet falls on the beat. The use of chords with an added sixth also echoes the first prelude of Chopin's collection. Despite its brevity at 25 measures, the piece contains indications for rubato and accelerando, requiring a comprehensive understanding of its overall structure.

No. 2 in A minor, 3/4 time, Allegretto

Like the previous piece, this was composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 23 years old. It is written in a polyphonic style, with frequent use of chromatic movement. The melody combines stepwise motion with leaping intervals.

No. 3 in G major, 3/4 time, Vivo

Composed during Scriabin's stay in Heidelberg, when he was 23 years old. At the suggestion of Belyayev, who helped publish this work, Scriabin received treatment for his neurosis there. Written with polyrhythms of 2:3 and 3:4, this piece is characterized by undulating movements in both the left and right hands.

No. 4 in E minor, 6/8 time, Lento

Composed in the year Scriabin entered the Moscow Conservatory, when he was 16 years old. This is likely the earliest piece composed within this collection. The melody is primarily in the bass, with chords articulated above it.

No. 5 in D major, 4/2 time, Andante cantabile

Composed during Scriabin's second Western European tour, when he was 24 years old. A long-breathed melody is accompanied by a wavering accompaniment line.

No. 6 in B minor, 2/4 time, Allegro

Composed in Kyiv during Scriabin's travels, when he was 17 years old and still a student at the Moscow Conservatory. Both hands are primarily based on octaves. One hand plays a rhythm consisting of a dotted quarter note and an eighth note, while the other hand follows, displaced by one beat. However, it is actually notated with a tied quarter note and an eighth note instead of a dotted quarter note, which makes this rhythmic displacement visually clear.

No. 7 in A major, 6/8 time, Allegro assai

Composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 23 years old. It is written in a three-voice texture: a melody combining stepwise motion and leaping intervals, an inner voice similarly combining stepwise motion and leaping intervals, and a bass line often doubled in octaves. The bass is characterized by phrasing with slurs displaced from the beat.

No. 8 in F-sharp minor, 3/4 time, Allegro agitato

Composed in Paris, the first destination of Scriabin's second Western European tour, when he was 24 years old. Scriabin also made his debut concert there. It is primarily based on a 2:3 polyrhythm. The melody is characterized by ascending leaps exceeding an octave and a descending motif of triplets.

No. 9 in E major, 3/4 time, Andantino

Composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 23 years old. It begins with the left hand seemingly inviting the right-hand melody. The presence of rubato indications at the beginning and occasional tenuto indications in the left hand suggests that agogic nuances are key.

No. 10 in C-sharp minor, 6/8 time, Andante

Composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 22 years old. In this piece, one can glimpse sonorities that foreshadow the later Mystic Chord. Both hands feature double notes.

No. 11 in B major, 6/8 time, Allegro assai

Composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 23 years old. It has a sweet and lyrical character reminiscent of Chopin. A melody with effectively placed half and whole steps is accompanied by arpeggiated chords that move flexibly across a wide range. These arpeggiated chords sometimes outline the counter-melody in the inner voice, requiring the skill to bring out this voice.

No. 12 in G-sharp minor, 9/8 time, Andante

Composed during Scriabin's first Western European tour, when he visited Switzerland at the age of 23. It begins as if the left and right hands are in dialogue, and in the latter half, both hands begin to speak simultaneously. In the section recalling the opening dialogue, the last three notes of each phrase of the right-hand melody are successively sustained to form chords, eliciting responses from the left hand.

No. 13 in G-flat major, 3/4 time, Lento

Composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 23 years old. A long-breathed melody is accompanied by a left hand that moves through various intervals.

No. 14 in E-flat minor, 15/8 time, Presto

Composed during Scriabin's stay in Dresden on his first Western European tour, when he was 23 years old. Scriabin told Josef Hofmann about this piece, saying, “The idea for this piece came to me when I was standing on a bridge at the Bastei in Switzerland.” This piece can be understood as 5/8 x 3 per measure. The right hand is primarily based on chords, and the left hand on octaves. Furthermore, an eighth rest or a tied note is placed on the first of five eighth notes in the right hand and on the fourth in the left hand.

No. 15 in D-flat major, 4/4 time, Lento

Composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 23 years old. An eight-measure phrase of double notes in the left hand is followed by the presentation of a new, very long-breathed melody in the upper voice by the right hand. In the latter half, the roles of the hands switch, with a single-note melody assigned to the bass and a double-note part to the upper voice. In the concluding section, after another inversion of parts, the piece ends with quiet chords in both voices.

No. 16 in B-flat minor, 5/8 time / 4/8 time, Misterioso

Composed when Scriabin was 23 years old, with theories suggesting it was composed either in Vitznau, Switzerland, or in Moscow. It features an original structure where 5/8 and 4/8 time signatures alternate measure by measure. The texture where both hands play in unison is also striking.

No. 17 in A-flat major, 3/2 time, Allegretto

Composed when Scriabin was 23 years old, with theories suggesting it was composed either in Vitznau, Switzerland, or in Moscow. Although a short piece of only 12 measures, its structure, which begins with repeated accelerando, ritardando, and a tempo, and its melody, with an exquisite combination of intervals, ensure it does not result in an unmemorable work.

No. 18 in F minor, 2/4 time, Allegro agitato

Composed in Vitznau, Switzerland, when Scriabin was 23 years old. This piece features octaves played with a 2:3 polyrhythm. Octave appoggiaturas are frequently used.

No. 19 in E-flat major, 2/4 time, Affettuoso (with affection)

Composed when Scriabin was 23 years old, with theories suggesting it was composed either in Heidelberg or in Moscow. It combines a 5:3 polyrhythm with a cross-phrasing technique where the beat is displaced by one quintuplet.

No. 20 in C minor, 3/4 time, Appassionato

Composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 23 years old. This piece is primarily based on octaves and triplets. Initiated by an anacrusis and continuing to press forward, the piece concludes quietly.

No. 21 in B-flat major, 3/4 time, Andante

Composed in Moscow when Scriabin was 23 years old. While primarily in 3/4 time, it changes almost every measure to either 3/4, 5/4, or 6/4. The melody is characterized by ascending figures, with occasional descending figures seemingly serving to accumulate energy for further ascent.

No. 22 in G minor, 3/4 time, Lento

Composed in Paris when Scriabin was 24 years old. Written in a polyphonic style, this piece is interspersed with chromatic movement throughout.

No. 23 in F major, 3/4 time, Vivo

Composed in Vitznau, Switzerland, when Scriabin was 23 years old. Primarily based on triplets, a lively right-hand melody is accompanied by a flowing left hand.

No. 24 in D minor, 6/8 time / 5/8 time, Presto

Composed in Heidelberg when Scriabin was 23 years old. 6/8 and 5/8 time signatures alternate measure by measure. The right-hand chords gradually expand their range, while the single notes in the left hand eventually double in octaves. And the collection concludes with Scriabin's favored dynamic technique, building a single grand crescendo throughout the piece.