Since I promised to bring you my favourite classical pieces, I thought of starting with my all time favourite Classical Music piece.
Before going in to detail about this piece, I’ll give you proof for the fact that you are familiar with this tune. Yes. As you might have guessed from the information from my previous post, this tune was used as the basis for their début single "Wasanthaye" by Bathiya and Santhush. You can listen to their adaptation from the embedded Youtube clip to the right. | |
And now please do listen to the original piece from the second embedded Youtube clip. I particularly choose this clip from Youtube because it clearly shows the music notation and spatial note variation. (Hit the full screen button if you do not have supper eyes that can see all of these details in the tiny embedded box) |
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| Johann Sebastian Bach Source http://bit.ly/yF9NS |
Now let’s look into some background information about the piece. As the post title says, it is commonly known as “Air on the G string”. This is an adaptation of the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068 by the baroque era German Composer Johann Sebastian Bach. (31 March 1685– 28 July 1750). Bach is greatly considered to be the musician who brought the music of Baroque era to its prime. His other notable works include Brandenburg concertos , St Matthew Passion, the St John Passion, the Magnificat, The Musical Offering, and etc. [Note: If you are an X-Files fan, you might remember on the first episode of Season 2, the “Voyager Golden Record” which was included in the Voyager spacecraft hoping to be discovered by aliens is mentioned. This Voyager Golden Record contained Bach’s Brandenburg concertos.] It is widely believed that Bach composed this between 1717 and 1723 in Leipzig for his patron Prince Leopold of Anhalt.
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| August Wilhelmj Source http://bit.ly/bYdm9X |
In 1800s Another German composer named August Wilhelmj took second part (Air) of the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major and transposed the key down to C major, Which effectively made it possible to play the piece using only one string of the violin namely, the G string. Hence comes the name; “Air on the G String”. Bach wrote the original piece to be played using a Trumpet , a timpani, an oboe, a violin, a viola with a basso continuo (an accompaniment from a composed bass part by playing the bass notes and improvising harmony above them). Wilhelmj rendered the derived composition to be played by a violin and a piano.
Throughout the ages this piece of music has been used in various places and has been adapted by many and rendered in to different faces and shapes. (Even most of the toy organs have this integrated in to them.) I still tend to treasure the original version above all. As far as the adaptations are concerned, I find the following cappella version most soul soothing.
