🔗 Share this article

Previously unknown organ compositions by the musical genius Bach have been unveiled and played in Germany for the initial occasion in 320 years.

The country's Minister of Culture the cultural official called the unearthing of the two pieces a "significant occasion for the global music scene".

They initially attracted notice of Peter Wollny in 1992 when he was cataloguing the composer's papers at the Belgian royal collection.

The organ pieces - the D minor Chaconne and G minor composition - were without dates and without attribution. The scholar spent the next 30 years working to verify the origin of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

They were performed at the St Thomas Church in the German city, where the composer is interred and where he worked as a cantor for 27 years.

The two pieces were played by Dutch musician the musical performer, who said he was privileged to be able to present them for the first time in over three centuries.

He said the pieces were "exceptionally well-crafted" and would be "a great asset for organists today, as they are also appropriate for more compact instruments".

Musical Importance

They are thought to have been written at the beginning of Bach's professional life, when he was working as an music instructor in the municipality of the Thuringian town in the German region.

The scholar, who is now the leader of the musical archive in the city, said they exhibited several qualities distinctive to the artist.

"In terms of style, the compositions also feature elements that can be found in Bach's compositions from that era, but not in those of other musicians," he said.

They are thought to have been written down in 1705 by one of Bach's pupils, the musical student.

At a presentation of the pieces, Mr Wollny said he was "virtually certain that the composer had created the two compositions" and they have now been added into the authoritative listing of his works.