The work is structured in four movements:
The first movement is based primarily upon octatonic and secondarily upon whole tone material, and centered on A♭ (with G and B above).[2] The "sonata-like" first movement also presents material used throughout the work: "a descending scalar melodic line, sustained pedal tones, and melodic thirds."[3] Of the third movement, a theme and four variations,[4] Carl Sigmon writes that, "a declamatory cry dominates the movement – a cry so stark that it must be repeated; there is no answer but itself."[3] Its tone center is G♯, but with A and C♯ above (a whole tone above G and B): "In this fashion, the incipient whole-tone element of the Quintet is embedded in the global tone-center relations."[5] It contains a viola, cello, and violin cadenza in the second, third, and fourth variations, respectively.[6]
It has been recorded on George Perle: A Retrospective (2006) Bridge 9214A/B.
