Air on a G String is a popular aria from the orchestral suite No.3 in D major by Johann Sebastian Bach. The aria was composed in honor of Bach’s patron Prince Leopold of Anhalt and became the first composer’s work ever recorded. The recording was made in 1902 by the Russian cello player Alexander Verzhbilovich and an unknown pianist.
The curious title is believed to come from August Wilhelmj who arranged the piece for piano and violin and by changing the key and lowering the melody from D major to C major was able to play the whole piece on a single string of his violin, G string – thus Air on a G String. However, that’s only one of the versions. Some contend that the piece was originally meant to be played on one string.
Now, looking at the piece’s usage in ‘pop culture’ I was kind of perplexed. It turns out that this music – sounding most lightly and tenderly to me – has been quote popular for using in various horror-related ventures. For example, it was featured in the crime thriller Collateral, played when the villain fed his secretary to a shark in “The Spy Who Loved Me”, or was chosen for the video game “The Evil Within”. Maybe that’s meant to highlight the contract between beauty and violence? Of course the list of occasions when the melody is used is not limited to horrors only, but this very fact just was a bit of surprise to me.
Talking about arrangements (that are numerous, taken the popularity of the aria), I specifically like the one by Michael Silverman. His solo piano version of "Air on a G String" was recorded for the "The Good Wife" TV production on CBS last year 2013.
The curious title is believed to come from August Wilhelmj who arranged the piece for piano and violin and by changing the key and lowering the melody from D major to C major was able to play the whole piece on a single string of his violin, G string – thus Air on a G String. However, that’s only one of the versions. Some contend that the piece was originally meant to be played on one string.
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| Image by Diego Corte "Death plays violin" |
Talking about arrangements (that are numerous, taken the popularity of the aria), I specifically like the one by Michael Silverman. His solo piano version of "Air on a G String" was recorded for the "The Good Wife" TV production on CBS last year 2013.
