Air On A G String Sheet Music

Air On The G String, which is also known as Air On G String and Air On A G String has an interesting origin:

At the end of the 19th century the German violinist August Wilhelmj (1845-1908) decided to adapt J.S. Bach`s Aria from the “Suite for Orchestra in D-major” BWV 1068 for violin and piano. This second movement of Bach`s third orchestral suite is a slow movement in 4/4 and Bach wrote it originally for solo-violin and string orchestra.

Wilhelmj transposed the entire solo part, which is a gem of lyric music, into C, so it fits comfortably on the G-string, the lowest string of the violin with a particularly dark and romantic timbre. The harmonic parts he wrote for piano. Though this music was later transcribed for many other instruments like the flute, it did not lose its name “Air on the G-String”.