This piece is built around the interval of a tritone followed by a major third and is mostly a through-composed work. Through most of this piece, the percussion plays a polyrhythm that operates as a foreground and sometimes background ostinato. An upward rhythmic motif, constructed of a tritone followed by a major third, begins in measure 3. This motif develops throughout the work, becoming a primary figure in the woodwinds. The static harmony and melody, not spanning beyond a tritone in the strings, are found in various stages. Murmuring flutes and air being blown in the trumpets and trombones in measure 18 temporarily replace the percussion choir. This is accompanied by a canon in the upper strings, glockenspiel and harp that emphasizes the tritone. The climax of the piece is seen in measure 73 with the entire orchestra's explosion of rhythmic variety and harmony.