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Newly discovered musical pieces by the renowned composer Bach have been presented and played in Germany for the initial occasion in three hundred twenty years.

Germany's Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer labeled the finding of the pair of works a "significant occasion for the world of music".

They originally drew interest of a Bach researcher in 1992 when he was cataloguing Bach manuscripts at the Belgian royal collection.

The organ pieces - the Chaconne composition in D minor and G minor Chaconne - were undated and without attribution. The scholar spent the subsequent thirty years working to authenticate the origin of the pieces.

Historic Performance

They were performed at the historic Leipzig church in the eastern German municipality, where Bach is interred and where he was employed as a cantor for 27 years.

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

He said the pieces were "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "an important addition for organists today, as they are also suitable for reduced-scale organs".

Cultural Relevance

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

The scholar, who is now the director of the Bach Archive in the municipality, said they displayed several features particular to the composer.

"In terms of style, the compositions also include characteristics that can be found in the composer's creations from that time, but not in those of other musicians," he said.

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

At a revealing of the compositions, the expert said he was "almost completely confident that the composer had composed the two compositions" and they have now been incorporated into the official catalogue of his compositions.