Lost Bach Pieces Presented for First Time in Over Three Centuries

Previously unknown musical pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach have been revealed and performed in the central European country for the premiere performance in three hundred twenty years.

Germany's Minister of Culture the government representative called the discovery of the two compositions a "significant occasion for the world of music".

They originally drew interest of a Bach researcher in the early nineties when he was documenting Bach manuscripts at the Belgian royal collection.

The organ works - the D minor Chaconne and G minor Chaconne - were undated and unsigned. Mr Wollny spent the next 30 years working to verify the identity of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

They were presented at the Thomas Church in the German city, where Bach is buried and where he was employed as a music director for 27 years.

The two pieces were executed by Dutch organist the musical performer, who said he was honored to be able to perform them for the initial performance in 320 years.

He said the works were "exceptionally well-crafted" and would be "a great asset for organists today, as they are also well-suited for smaller organs".

Cultural Relevance

They are considered to have been written during Bach's formative years, when he was working as an organ teacher in the town of the Thuringian town in the German region.

Mr Wollny, who is now the head of the Bach research center in Leipzig, said they exhibited several characteristics unique to the artist.

"Musically, the works also include elements that can be observed in Bach's works from that era, but not in those of different artists," he said.

They are considered to have been written down in the early eighteenth century by a student of Bach, the musical student.

At a unveiling of the compositions, the researcher said he was "virtually certain that Bach had written the two pieces" and they have now been included into the recognized inventory of his works.