It is believed to have been composed around 1826–1827. Furthermore, it is thought to have been composed either upon the death of the Polish patriot Stanisław Wawrzyniec in 1826 or upon the death of Chopin's sister Emilia the following year. In any case, it is a work from Chopin's teenage years. It was published posthumously, with the Fontana edition appearing in 1855 and the Oxford edition in 1932. It should be noted that the Oxford edition was published based on a manuscript copy; however, it employs tremolos, which are rarely seen in Chopin's works, leading to doubts as to whether it is a copy from Chopin's own autograph manuscript.

Written in C minor and 4/4 time, this work takes the form of a three-part (ternary) form.