This Praeludium in C major is a classic seven-section Buxtehude praeludium, consisting of four toccata-like free sections alternating with three fugal imitative sections. The opening free section is the longest of the toccata-like sections, and the interior free sections grow out of the fugues as if the strict imitative counterpoint is decaying into a free chaos that eventually makes some sort of brief riot before another fugue starts again. In this praeludium each of the fugue subjects is thematically related. Each one begins on G', ascends to A', and then drops down to E'. The second fugue embellishes the basic scaffolding of the first fugue with added sixteenth notes, the third fugue embellishes the first with added triplets. For the most part the fugues are in four-voice counterpoint; however, the last fugue also includes a brief moment of five-voice polyphony.

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