This composition is based on a madrigal-comedy entitled Contrappunto bestiale alla mente by Adriano Banchieri included in his work Festino nella sera del giovedì grasso avanti cena (Small Party before Dinner on the Evening of Carnival Thursday).

As Nono explained in his writings, "I'm seeking to reflect the type of musical process used by Banchieri: the focus on the voice, introduction of sound material of the time, humorous and parodic distortion especially in the lyrical and dramatic elements... but in today's actuality...".

[5] Finally, the fourth section uses an ironic text extracted from a pamphlet opposing the Vietnam War written by Enraged Women of the Progressive Labor Party in Harlem.

Gorodecki described it as an exploration of "the acoustical nature of sound, as well as the extensive possibilities involving filters, micro-intervallic sound-bands and tape editing techniques of layering, over-lapping, intercutting, and collage".

John Baldacchino described the piece as a pioneering "electronic montage" that makes the listener feel "the strength of the historic threshold pressing its weight on the art-form".