The four Orchestral Suites or Ouvertures BWV 1066–1069 are a set of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, probably composed between 1725 and 1739 in Leipzig. The word overture refers to an opening movement in which a section of slow dotted-note rhythm is followed by a fugue; at the time, this name was also used to refer to a whole suite of dance-pieces in the French baroque style.
The Air in the third Suite is one of the most famous pieces of baroque music. The original orchestral suite was written by Bach for his patron Prince Leopold of Anhalt sometime between the years 1717 and 1723.
An arrangement of the piece by German violinist August Wilhelmj (1845–1908) has come to be known as Air on the G String. The title comes from Wilhelmj's arrangement of the piece for violin and piano. By transposing the key of the piece from its original D major to C major and transposing the melody down an octave, Wilhelmj was able to play the piece on only one string of his violin, the G string.
The Air on the G String was the very first work by Bach to be recorded. This was by the Russian cellist Aleksandr Verzhbilovich and an unnamed pianist, in 1902 (as the Air from the Ouverture No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068).
Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068
The four Orchestral Suites or Ouvertures BWV 1066–1069 are a set of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, probably composed between 1725 and 1739 in Leipzig. The word overture refers to an opening movement in which a section of slow dotted-note rhythm is followed by a fugue; at the time, this name was also used to refer to a whole suite of dance-pieces in the French baroque style.
The Air in the third Suite is one of the most famous pieces of baroque music. The original orchestral suite was written by Bach for his patron Prince Leopold of Anhalt sometime between the years 1717 and 1723.
An arrangement of the piece by German violinist August Wilhelmj (1845–1908) has come to be known as Air on the G String. The title comes from Wilhelmj's arrangement of the piece for violin and piano. By transposing the key of the piece from its original D major to C major and transposing the melody down an octave, Wilhelmj was able to play the piece on only one string of his violin, the G string.
The Air on the G String was the very first work by Bach to be recorded. This was by the Russian cellist Aleksandr Verzhbilovich and an unnamed pianist, in 1902 (as the Air from the Ouverture No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068).
http://youtu.be/NlT8yeEYbMs
http://youtu.be/FUPx42UmSng
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tda2vtJBCJw