Second set of Etudes composed almost ten years after the first, divided into 8 pieces :

No. 1 D flat major: Presto
No. 2 F sharp minor: Crotchet
No. 3 F sharp major: Prestissimo
No. 4 F sharp major: Andante
No. 5 C sharp minor: Affannato
No. 6 D flat major: Esaltato
No. 7 F minor: Agitato
No. 8 E flat major: Allegro

Following Scriabin’s general direction towards more conciseness, these etudes are shorter than the previous ones (12 Etudes Op.8). The works are still tonal but the harmonies are greatly extended, and the rhythms are complexified to an unreached point yet in Scriabin’s production, producing through the multiple polyrhythms a “restless” feel commonly associated with the Etude genre.

The first is composed of a constant complex polyrhythm of 9 against 5, producing an effect of irregular fluidity in an unstopped movement. The third, thanks to its high piano trills, has been nicknamed “the mosquito” for its evocative sound. The fourth, in Scriabin’s favorite tonality of F-sharp major, is composed of grand lyricism and rich harmonies, maybe an echo of the romantic artist composing for his new muse, Tatianna de Schloezer. The fifth is Scriabin’s most popular etude after No.12 Op.8, full of tempestuous energy and virtuosity. The sixth, with great tonal ambiguity, does not present the tonic before the first sixteen bars.