The composition was not premiered as a set, due to the fact that études 1–2 and 3 were performed separately.
The lyrics of the movements are extracted from works by Hungarian poet Sándor Weöres, even though original sources are yet unknown.
It features one of Ligeti's main compositional styles, the meccanico, also used in his String Quartet No.
The étude starts with the basses from group I, which are marked Tempo giusto (♩ = 90); then, the two altos from group I join in with different parts, marked Allegro vivace (♩ = 160); both sopranos, which also play different parts, are the next ones to join, marked Allegro con anima (♩ = 140); both tenors from group I join in some time later, playing both the same part at Allegro moderato (♩ = 110).
[4] At the end of the last movement, Ligeti demands "absolute silence" with a thick black line drawn along the entire page.