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George Perle ( 1990 ) analyses the piece both harmonically and motivically, and describes its background structure.

Formally, he says, the piece consists of two parts of nearly equal length, the end of the first section being bars 24 – 28 ( p. 77 ).

The piece uses interval cycles, " inherently non-diatonic symmetrical elements.

" ( p. 83 ) The opening ten bars outline a tritone, C – G, itself further divided into minor thirds ( by E ) with the upper minor third differentiated by a passing tone, F, that is lacking in the lower minor third.

Thus the diminished seventh chord, or rather C3 < sub > 1 </ sub >, interval cycle, partitions the octave, and " places Varèse with Scriabin and the Schoenberg circle among the revolutionary composers whose work initiates the beginning of a new mainstream tradition in the music of our century.

" ( p. 12 )