Prelude to a Drama: The tense feeling of the title is expressed in the dramatic rhythms of the opening bars. These are followed by a more expressive lyrical melody which, however, keeps in the accompaniment the strong rhythmic quality. A continuous crescendo leads to the climactic fortissimo statement of the beginning; the tension then subsides quickly and the piece ends pianissimo in the deep register of the piano.

Raindrops: The staccato chords in the first bar expressing the quiet falling of raindrops are followed in the second bar by a soft slowly broken chord picturing the misty atmosphere of a rainy day. These two moods either alternate or appear combined throughout the sketch. Only before the end this melancholic mood is interrupted for a few bars by a bright passage picturing the striking colours of a rainbow, but after a few bars the music returns to the cloudy picture of a rainy day.

Storm: The fast motion of the wind - which becomes quite violent towards the end - is the dominant characteristic of this movement.

Prayer in Distress: This meditative prayer expresses, as in Psalm 22, the despair of a person who feels that God has forsaken him.

Olympic Sprinter: A trill imitating the sound of a. snaredrum expresses the anxious tension of the sprinter before he hears the shot of the pistol indicating the start of the run. The run itself is a fast perpetual motion, with special emphasis for the extra added effort before the victorious end.