The Story of a Musical Work

The story is about Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite in D major (Suite No. 3 D-Dur BWV 1068), written between 1717 and 1723 for the court of Prince Leopold of the German region of Köthen. At the time, Bach had moved there with his family and worked as Kapellmeister. During the composer's lifetime the work did not receive the recognition it deserved.

Although during his lifetime Bach wrote several grandiose and timeless works, at the time he was not at all known as a composer - only as a talented organist and harpsichordist. After Bach's death his compositions were practically forgotten and not performed for approximately 100 years. Nearly a century later, while studying Bach and appreciating his great contribution to music, Ludwig van Beethoven remarked: "Not a brook - an ocean should be his rightful name." (from the German "bach" - brook)

The aforementioned work underwent a transformation in the 19th century when German violinist August Wilhelmj transposed it from D major to C major. Moreover, he performed the work on a single G string of the violin and gave it the name recognised today - "Air" ("Air on the G String").

I offer you a chance to listen to Bach's work performed by violinist Sarah Chang, who in my view very delicately conveys the message of a genius's soul experiences to the listener.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOVwokQnV4M

In the image gallery: Bach in his youth in Weimar; Bach in his mature years - the composer's oil portrait painted by Elias Gottlob Haußmann in 1746; Bach's personal signature seal; violinist August Wilhelmj; the Bach sculpture at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where he is buried.

About the composer - http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach