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Recently identified musical pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach have been unveiled and played in the European nation for the initial occasion in over three centuries.

Germany's Cultural Affairs Minister the government representative called the discovery of the pair of works a "great moment for the world of music".

They originally drew interest of a musical scholar in the early nineties when he was documenting historical musical documents at the Royal Library of Belgium.

The organ pieces - the Chaconne composition in D minor and Chaconne in G minor - were dating unknown and without attribution. Mr Wollny spent the next 30 years working to verify the authorship of the pieces.

Historic Performance

They were performed at the Thomas Church in the German city, where Bach is buried and where he was employed as a church musician for over two decades.

The compositions were played by organist from the Netherlands the renowned organist, who said he was proud to be able to play them for the premiere in 320 years.

He said the works were "of a very high quality" and would be "an important addition for contemporary organ players, as they are also appropriate for more compact instruments".

Historical Significance

They are thought to have been created early in Bach's career, when he was serving as an organ instructor in the community of Arnstadt in Thuringia.

The scholar, who is now the director of the Bach research center in the city, said they demonstrated several characteristics particular to the composer.

"Musically, the compositions also include elements that can be observed in the composer's creations from that era, but not in those of any other composer," he said.

They are thought to have been written down in the early eighteenth century by a student of Bach, the historical figure.

At a revealing of the compositions, Mr Wollny said he was "almost completely confident that Bach had written the two compositions" and they have now been incorporated into the authoritative listing of his works.