Abracadabra is at once playful and serious, innocent and mischievous. A sense of mystery pervades as the dark key of G minor is balanced by sudden shifts to bright and sunny major keys. Throughout the composition magic is thought of as a source of fun and fantasy. As the piece nears its conclusion, the music rushes toward what seems to be an explosive finish. But the woodwinds interrupt, fanning out to a questioning whole-tone cluster. They are answered by a puff of sound, a final disappearing act.

Written in a D minor/modal tonality, this work quickly moves from a singing style of 84 beats per minute, to a moving 138. The meter is 3/4 throughout with all the instrumental ranges very modest.