Once upon a time, there lived a German violinist named August Wilhelm. In 1871, presumably having some extra time on his dexterous digits, he decided to write a piano and violin arrangement of the second movement of J.S. Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D. By changing the key to C and transposing the melody down an octave, he was able to play using only one string of his violin. Snicker, snicker…the G string. And with that, Herr Wilhelm unleashed into the centuries a much-beloved Air punctuated with unavoidable jokes. (I, for one, first heard such jokes in my college Music History II class. We were super sophisticated.)
Bach composed his Orchestral Suite No. 3 around 1731. In that time, orchestral suites were “easy listening” for parties and other occasions of entertainment. This was not Bach’s preferred style of composing (remember, this is the man who gave us the Brandenburg Concertos and the St. Matthew Passion); however, he wrote four orchestral suites as acts of good faith to the Leipzig City Council. Bach had a bit of a temper, and his relationship with the city council was often contentious. By contributing new music, his petitions for better wages and better teaching and conducting opportunities fell on open ears- a savvy move on Johann’s part. Ah, were that the political climate of today! Three of Bach’s four “acts of good faith” were written specifically for the Leipzig Collegium Musicum, a group of music students and aficionados who, under Bach’s direction, gathered together at Zimmermann’s Coffee House to crack wise and make music. Bach devoted his time to this extracurricular activity from 1729 to 1741.
Interestingly, “orchestral” seems to be a misnomer, as the Suites are composed for small instrumental groupings. The Third Suite is scored for three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, and strings- with the exception of the Air, of course.
What I love about the Air is its dignity. It’s slow but not stodgy, tender but not cloying. In this beautiful recording on period instruments, the cello and violone provide this wonderful, velvety foundation and the violins and viola are refined and elegant. Note the lovely additions of baroque organ and “archlute”.
Another of my favorite recordings is the fantastic duo of Bobby McFerrin (read more about his views on Bach’s “danceability” here) and Yo-Yo Ma. They lend a unique and utterly gorgeous artistry to a melody that is often overlooked due to its familiarity.
Bach’s Air on the G string: not just for wedding processionals and “Sounds of the Ocean” recordings! We here at Sibling Revelry hope you’ll listen and enjoy.
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