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"Air on the G String", also known as "Air for G String" and "Celebrated Air", is August Wilhelmj's 1871 arrangement of the second movement of Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

The arrangement differs from the original in that the part of the first violins is transposed down so that the entire piece can be played on just the violin's lowest string (the G string, hence the name). In performance, that part is generally played by a single violin (instead of by the first violins as a group).

Bach's original

"Air" from Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3

String orchestra (2000)

performed by the United States Air Force Band Strings (not a historically informed performance, but no transpositions)

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Bach's third Orchestral Suite in D major, composed in the first half of the 18th century, has an "Air" as second movement, following its French overture opening movement. The suite is composed for three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, strings (two violin parts and a viola part), and basso continuo. In the second movement of the suite however only the strings and the continuo play. This is the only movement of the suite where all other instruments are silent.

The music of the "Air" is written on four staves, for first and second violins, viola(s), and continuo. The interweaving melody lines of the high strings contrast with the pronounced rhythmic drive in the bass.

Wilhelmj's arrangement

"Air on the G String"

Violin and piano (1920)

performed by Joel Belov (violin) and Robert Gayler (piano)

Violin and string orchestra (1990)

performed by Takako Nishizaki (violin), Capella Istropolitana, Oliver von Dohnányi (conductor); courtesy of Naxos Records

Saxophone and piano

performed by David Hernando Vitores (alto saxophone) – "on the G String"-like arrangement for a solo instrument without strings

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In 1871, violinist August Wilhelmj arranged the second movement of Bach's third Orchestral Suite for violin and an accompaniment of strings, piano or organ (harmonium).^[1] On the score he wrote auf der G-Saite (on the G string) above the staff for the solo violin, which gave the arrangement its nickname.

In Wilhelmj's version the piece is transposed down from its original key (D major) to C major. Then the part of the first violins is transposed further down an octave and given to a solo violin that can play the entire melody on its lowest string, the G string.^[6] The dynamic markings added by Wilhelmj are more in line with a Romantic interpretation than with the Baroque original.

As the violin is unable to play with much volume in its lowest register, all the other parts of Bach's music were firmly reduced in Wilhelmj's version: the keyboard part is to be played staccato and pianissimo, causing the effects of interweaving melodies and of drive in the bass part to get lost. The accompanying violins and violas play muted (con sordino), and the bass part for cellos and double basses is to be played pizzicato and sempre pianissimo, with the same change in effect compared to Bach's original.^[7]

Later, a spurious story circulated that the melody was always intended to be played on the G string alone.^[8] The solo violin part of Wilhelmj's arrangement is sometimes played on the counter-tenor violoncello.

Wilhelmj's arrangement greatly popularized the piece and although his version is rarely played anymore, his original title on the G string or Air on the G string has been retained as the commonly used name of various arrangements whether or not a string instrument playing on its G string is involved.^[6] Most of these versions have in common that the original melody of the first violins is played in the low register of a solo instrument, accompanied by a reduction of the material of the other parts of Bach's piece, although occasionally versions that stay more in line with Bach's original can go by the same name.

Reception

In a period that stretched over three decades, and started in 1905, Henry Wood regularly programmed Wilhelmj's arrangement at the London Proms.^[9]^[10]^[11] Wood recorded his orchestral rendering (i.e., the G string part performed by a group of violins) of the Bach/Wilhelmj "Air" in the early 1930s.^[12]^[13]

Early recordings

Recordings of Wilhelmj's "Air on the G String" arrangement, from the era preceding the Second World War, include:

Early recordings of Air on the G String
Rec.	Soloist	Accompaniment or Ensemble (Conductor)	Company Matrix (Take)	Title
1902	Hartmann, Leopold		Gramophone 2155B	Air auf der G-Saite^[14]
1903	Dessau, Bernhard [de]		Gramophone 1528x	Air auf der G-Saite^[15]
1904-02-01	Kreisler, Fritz		Gramophone 2087x	^[16]
1905-03-01	Geyer, Stefi	Dienzl, Oszkár [scores] [piano]		^[17]
1909-05	Rosé, Arnold		Gramophone 14680u	Air auf der G-Saite^[18]
1911-01-01	Vecsey, Ferenc			^[5]
1911-05-17	Elman, Mischa	Kahn, Percy B. [piano]	Victor C-9871 (3)	Air for G string^[19]
1913-10-01	Kubelík, Jan	Falkenstein, George [piano]	Victor B-13892 (1)	Air for G String^[4]
1913-11-09		Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra (Godfrey, Dan)	Gramophone	^[20]
1918-07	Belov, Joel	Gayler, Robert [piano]	Edison 6289 (A–C)	Air for G string^[21]
1919-01-03	Belov, Joel	Gayler, Robert [piano]	Edison 6289 (F–H)	Air for G string^[22]
1919-11-11	Elman, Mischa	Bonime, Joseph [piano]	Victor C-9871 (5)	Air for G string^[19]
1921-04-01	Weißgerber, Andreas	Raucheisen, Michael [piano]	Odéon xxB6659	^[5]
1923-01-24		Royal Albert Hall Orchestra (Goossens, Eugene)	HMV Cc2215(-4)	^[23]
c. 1920–26	Soldat-Roeger, Marie		Union A3012 (3)	^[24]^[25]
1923-08-10	Strockoff, Leo		Columbia AX126	^[5]
1924-01-01	Příhoda, Váša			^[5]
1927	Rosé, Arnold	Rosé Quartet	HMV Ck2847 (1)	^[26]^[27]
1927-02-14	Thibaud, Jacques	Craxton, Harold [piano]	HMV Cc9913	^[5]
1928	Rosé, Arnold	Rosé Quartet	HMV Ck2847 (2)	^[28]
1929-11-04	Hubay, Jenő	Budapest Conservatory Orchestra (Zsolt, Nándor)	HMV CV713	^[26]^[29]
1930-02-25	Cassadó, Gaspar [cello]		Columbia WAX5416	^[5]
1930-09-16	Huberman, Bronisław	Schultze, Siegfried [fr] [piano]	Columbia WAX5007	^[5]
1931-03-05	Zimbalist, Efrem	Sanderberg, Theo [piano]	Columbia 98737 (1)	Air on the G string^[30]
1932-06-16		British Symphony Orchestra (Wood, Henry)	Columbia CAX6441(-1)	Air on G String^[12]^[13]
1936-05-20	Benedetti, René [it; de]	Orch. de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire	Columbia CLX1919	^[5]

Soldat-Roeger's recorded performance of the "Air on the G String" was the subject of scholarly analysis.^[26]^[31]

Appreciation of Wilhelmj's arrangement

In the early 20th century, Joseph Joachim called Wilhelmj's arrangement "a shameless falsification of a work by Bach".^[32] In Casper Höweler [nl; fr]'s XYZ der Muziek (1936, here quoted from the 1939 edition):

Het Air, alleen voor strijkers en continuo, met zijn volmaakte cantilenen in alle stemmen, van sfeer een onovertroffen ‘Der Welt abhanden gekommen’, heeft de ontstellendste majesteitschennis ondergaan, die de muziek meemaakte: de violist Wilhelmj maakte er een zwoel effect-stukje van, door het als ‘Aria op de g snaar’ te zetten, waarbij zoowel de evenwichtige polyphonie als de teere stemming vandalistisch vernield werden.

The "Air", exclusively for strings and continuo, with its perfect singing in all voices, breathing an unsurpassed "lost to the world", has suffered the most appalling regicide in music: the violinist Wilhelmj converted it to sultry claptrap by setting it as "Aria on the G String", thus vandalising and annihilating both its equilibrated polyphony and delicate atmosphere.

—X-Y-Z der muziek (1939)^[2]

—translation

British musicologist Donald Francis Tovey likewise criticized Wihelmj's arrangement, stating that "At my concerts [the Air] will be heard as Bach wrote it, in its original D major as an angelic soprano strain, not in C major as a display of contralto depths."^[6]

In popular music

The 1967 song "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum used a bar or two of "Air on the G String" as its starting point according to its writer Gary Brooker.^[33]
The Dutch group Ekseption recorded a jazz-fusion version titled "Air" which reached No. 1 on the Dutch chart in 1969.^[34]
The German group Sweetbox recorded a rap song "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" backed with music from "Air on the G String" in 1997, which became a world-wide hit.^[35]
Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton used "Air on the G String" as the guitar solo for the song “Hearts of Iron,” the tenth track on their 2014 album Heroes.
The South Korean girl group Red Velvet uses its sample for their song "Feel My Rhythm" taken from their 2022 EP The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm.^[36]

In popular culture

In the 1977 James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, the piece is used as villain Karl Stromberg feeds his assistant to a shark.

In the 1995 film Se7en, the piece is used as Detective Mills and Somerset look through crime photographs.^[37]^[38]

The piece is used in the 1997 Japanese anime apocalyptic science fiction film The End of Evangelion, towards the end of the movie's first half.^[39]

The piece is heard in the 3rd Baby Einstein video, Baby Bach

The 2000 Japanese action film Battle Royale features the piece in its soundtrack.^[40]

In the 7th episode of the 2008 TV anime adaptation of Golgo 13, "Sharp Shoot on the G String", Duke Togo is contacted by a prestigious violinist of the London Symphony Orchestra, who was humiliated while playing the piece due to his violin's G string snapping. Duke is hired to shoot the G string on his rival's violin in order to humiliate him as he plays same piece at a concert in front of a large audience.

The 2022 anime adaption of the manga "Record of Ragnarok", which depicts famous mythological and historical human figures fighting against the gods of various cultures and religions, used a rendition of this song, referred to as "massacre in the g battlefield" as the entrance theme for Zeus, one of the fighters.

The 2024 horror/sci-fi film It's What's Inside features a rendition of the piece during the second act, called "It's Way More Fun Not Knowing In D Major."

References

^ ^a ^b French 2014, II, p. 71.
^ ^a ^b Höweler 1939, pp. 47–48.
^ Works by August Wilhelmj: list at the International Music Score Library Project
^ ^a ^b "Victor matrix B-13892. Air for G string / Jan Kubelík". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03. Contains several audio versions of this recording.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Search Results for BACH, J.S. (arr.Wilhelmj)". CHARM. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wen, Eric (2001). "Stripped of the G String: Bach's Air from the Suite No. 3 in D". Theory and Practice. 26: 87–98. ISSN 0741-6156. JSTOR 41054328.
^ "About "Air on the G String by J. S. Bach & arranged by Wilhelmj". Galaxy Music Notes. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
^ Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th edition, 1954, Vol. IX, p. 298, "Wilhelmj, August"
^ French 2014, I, pp. 49, 162.
^ Prom 61 - Last Night of the Proms 1907 at BBC website.
^ Prom 19: 20:00 Sat 4 Sep 1909 Queen's Hall at BBC website.
^ ^a ^b Henry J Wood at music.damians78s.co.uk website.
^ ^a ^b 1CL0047154 at British Library Sounds website (contains audio file).
^ Kelly 2009, 320.
^ Kelly 2009, 321.
^ "Search Results for Kreisler". CHARM. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
^ "Search Results for Stefi Geyer, violin, Oszkár Dienzl (p)". CHARM. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
^ Kelly 2009, 323.
^ ^a ^b "Victor matrix C-9871. Air for G string / Mischa Elman". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03. Contains audio of one of Elman's recordings.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^ "Search Results for DAN GODFREY'S (BOURNEMOUTH MUNICIPAL) ORCHESTRA". CHARM. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
^ "Edison matrix 6289. Air for G string / Joel Belov; Robert Gayler". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03. Contains audio of take A.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^ "Edison matrix 6289. Air for G string / Joel Belov; Robert Gayler". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
^ Eugene Goossens III at music.damians78s.co.uk website.
^ Milsom 2015a, pp. 6–7.
^ Milsom 2015b, p. 2.
^ ^a ^b ^c Milsom 2015a, p. 12.
^ Milsom 2015b, p. 1.
^ Milsom 2015b, p. 3.
^ Jenő Hubay – Carl Flesch: The HMV Recordings (Media notes). Biddulph. 1991. LAB 045.
^ "Columbia matrix 98737. Air on the G string / Efrem Zimbalist". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
^ Cho 2017, pp. 32, 36.
^ Milsom 2015a, p. 7.
^ Maconie, Stuart (2014). The People's Songs: The Story of Modern Britain in 50 Records. Ebury Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-0091933807.
^ "Ekseption - Air". Dutch Charts.
^ Taylor, Chuck (10 October 1998). "Sweetbox Aims for Top 40 Sweet Spot with the Bach-backed Hit 'Everything'". Billboard. p. 80.
^ Chin, Carmen (March 10, 2022). "Red Velvet to sample Bach's 'Air On The G String' on new single 'Feel My Rhythm'". NME. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
^ Story, James (2013-05-05). "10 Iconic Classical Songs You Only Know Because Of The Movies". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
^ Meyer, Joshua (2021-10-31). "The Daily Stream: Seven Is When David Fincher Truly Arrived, And Its Influence Endures". SlashFilm. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
^ "Production Note". The End of Evangelion Theatrical Pamphlet (in Japanese). Gainax. 1997.
^ "Bach Movie - Batoru rowaiaru (Battle Royale)". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.

Sources

Cho, Jung Yoon (2017). Re-interpreting Brahms Violin Sonatas: Understanding the Composer's Expectations (PDF) (PhD). University of Leeds.
French, Hannah Chloe (2014). The Role of Sir Henry J. Wood in the English Bach Awakening: Orchestral Bach at the Proms 1895-1944 (PDF) (PhD). University of Leeds.
Höweler, Casper [in French]; et al. (1939). "Bach, Johann Sebastian". X-Y-Z der muziek [X-Y-Z of Music] (in Dutch) (3rd ed.). Utrecht: W. de Haan. pp. 5–48.
Kelly, Allen (2009) [1994]. Capon, Brian (ed.). "The Gramophone Company – Standard German Catalogue (A–B–C)". operadis-opera-discography.org.uk.
Milsom, David (2015a) [2007]. "Marie Soldat-Roeger (1863-1955): Her Significance to the Study of Nineteenth-Century Performing Practices" (PDF). String Chamber Music of the Classical German School, 1840-1900: A Scholarly Investigation through Reconstructive Performance (Report). Arts & Humanities Research Council (ahrc.ukri.org).
Milsom, David (2015b) [2009]. "Discography" (PDF). String Chamber Music of the Classical German School, 1840-1900: A Scholarly Investigation through Reconstructive Performance (Report). Arts & Humanities Research Council (ahrc.ukri.org).

External links

"Air on the G String" (Wilhelmj arrangement): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Free sheet music of "Air on the G String" from Cantorion.org
"Air on the G String" sheet music on MuseScore.com
Video on YouTube, cellist Julian Lloyd Webber

[FOOTNOTEFrench2014II,_p.&nbsp;71-1] French 2014, II, p. 71.

[FOOTNOTEHöweler193947–48-2] Höweler 1939, pp. 47–48.

[3] Works by August Wilhelmj: list at the International Music Score Library Project

[Victor_64390-4] "Victor matrix B-13892. Air for G string / Jan Kubelík". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03. Contains several audio versions of this recording.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

[CHARM-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Search Results for BACH, J.S. (arr.Wilhelmj)". CHARM. Retrieved 2020-10-03.

[:0-6] Wen, Eric (2001). "Stripped of the G String: Bach's Air from the Suite No. 3 in D". Theory and Practice. 26: 87–98. ISSN 0741-6156. JSTOR 41054328.

[7] "About "Air on the G String by J. S. Bach & arranged by Wilhelmj". Galaxy Music Notes. Retrieved 2022-02-02.

[8] Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th edition, 1954, Vol. IX, p. 298, "Wilhelmj, August"

[FOOTNOTEFrench2014I,_pp.&nbsp;49,_162-9] French 2014, I, pp. 49, 162.

[10] Prom 61 - Last Night of the Proms 1907 at BBC website.

[11] Prom 19: 20:00 Sat 4 Sep 1909 Queen's Hall at BBC website.

[WoodDamian-12] Henry J Wood at music.damians78s.co.uk website.

[WoodBLSounds-13] 1CL0047154 at British Library Sounds website (contains audio file).

[FOOTNOTEKelly2009320-14] Kelly 2009, 320.

[FOOTNOTEKelly2009321-15] Kelly 2009, 321.

[16] "Search Results for Kreisler". CHARM. Retrieved 2020-10-03.

[17] "Search Results for Stefi Geyer, violin, Oszkár Dienzl (p)". CHARM. Retrieved 2020-10-03.

[FOOTNOTEKelly2009323-18] Kelly 2009, 323.

[Elman-19] "Victor matrix C-9871. Air for G string / Mischa Elman". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03. Contains audio of one of Elman's recordings.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

[20] "Search Results for DAN GODFREY'S (BOURNEMOUTH MUNICIPAL) ORCHESTRA". CHARM. Retrieved 2020-10-03.

[21] "Edison matrix 6289. Air for G string / Joel Belov; Robert Gayler". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03. Contains audio of take A.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

[22] "Edison matrix 6289. Air for G string / Joel Belov; Robert Gayler". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03.

[23] Eugene Goossens III at music.damians78s.co.uk website.

[FOOTNOTEMilsom2015a6–7-24] Milsom 2015a, pp. 6–7.

[FOOTNOTEMilsom2015b2-25] Milsom 2015b, p. 2.

[FOOTNOTEMilsom2015a12-26] Milsom 2015a, p. 12.

[FOOTNOTEMilsom2015b1-27] Milsom 2015b, p. 1.

[FOOTNOTEMilsom2015b3-28] Milsom 2015b, p. 3.

[29] Jenő Hubay – Carl Flesch: The HMV Recordings (Media notes). Biddulph. 1991. LAB 045.

[30] "Columbia matrix 98737. Air on the G string / Efrem Zimbalist". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2020-10-03.

[FOOTNOTECho201732,_36-31] Cho 2017, pp. 32, 36.

[FOOTNOTEMilsom2015a7-32] Milsom 2015a, p. 7.

[33] Maconie, Stuart (2014). The People's Songs: The Story of Modern Britain in 50 Records. Ebury Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-0091933807.

[34] "Ekseption - Air". Dutch Charts.

[35] Taylor, Chuck (10 October 1998). "Sweetbox Aims for Top 40 Sweet Spot with the Bach-backed Hit 'Everything'". Billboard. p. 80.

[36] Chin, Carmen (March 10, 2022). "Red Velvet to sample Bach's 'Air On The G String' on new single 'Feel My Rhythm'". NME. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.

[37] Story, James (2013-05-05). "10 Iconic Classical Songs You Only Know Because Of The Movies". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.

[38] Meyer, Joshua (2021-10-31). "The Daily Stream: Seven Is When David Fincher Truly Arrived, And Its Influence Endures". SlashFilm. Retrieved 2024-03-28.

[39] "Production Note". The End of Evangelion Theatrical Pamphlet (in Japanese). Gainax. 1997.

[40] "Bach Movie - Batoru rowaiaru (Battle Royale)". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.

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PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Air on the G String

Bach's original

Wilhelmj's arrangement

Reception

Early recordings

Appreciation of Wilhelmj's arrangement

In popular music

In popular culture

References

Sources

External links

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