G string

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G string (vn.). The lowest str., possessing a rich tone. Composers sometimes direct that a passage should be played entirely on that str. Bach's so-called ‘Air on the G string’ is really the 2nd movt. from his 3rd orch. suite in D, rearr. by Wilhelmj in 1871 as a vn. solo in the key of C, the melody transposed down a 9th, and with pf. acc.