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Newly discovered organ compositions by the renowned composer Bach have been revealed and played in the central European country for the initial occasion in three hundred twenty years.

Germany's Culture Minister the government representative called the finding of the two compositions a "significant occasion for the global music scene".

They initially attracted notice of a Bach researcher in the early nineties when he was cataloguing historical musical documents at the Brussels archive.

The musical compositions - the Chaconne in D minor and G minor Chaconne - were without dates and without attribution. The researcher spent the next 30 years working to confirm the identity of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

They were presented at the historic Leipzig church in the eastern German municipality, where the composer is laid to rest and where he was employed as a cantor for 27 years.

The pair of works were performed by organist from the Netherlands Ton Koopman, who said he was proud to be able to perform them for the first time in three hundred twenty years.

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

Musical Importance

They are considered to have been written during Bach's formative years, when he was employed as an organ instructor in the community of Arnstadt in central Germany.

The scholar, who is now the leader of the Bach research center in the municipality, said they displayed several characteristics distinctive to the musical genius.

"Stylistically, the compositions also feature aspects that can be identified in the composer's creations from that era, but not in those of different artists," he said.

They are believed to have been transcribed in 1705 by a student of Bach, Salomon Günther John.

At a presentation of the works, Mr Wollny said he was "99.99% sure that Bach had written the pair of works" and they have now been added into the official catalogue of his works.