Composed between 1717 and 1723, this is the second movement of an orchestral suite by Bach (No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068) and one of the most popular works of the Baroque era. Spiritual, with a long, relaxing and smooth melody which inspires love and joy, the music expresses the love and longing for someone for whom you have deep feelings. The 1960s rock band Procol Harum had borrowed from this piece its beginning for their international hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale."
The nickname of this piece comes 150 years following Bach's death, when a violinist transposed the whole piece from the original D to the C key, which meant that a violinist could play the whole piece in just one string, guess which one...the G.