🔗 Share this article Long-Forgotten Johann Sebastian Bach Pieces Performed for First-Ever Performance in Over Three Centuries Bach is considered to have composed the pair of organ works at the start of his musical journey Newly discovered organ compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach have been revealed and executed in the central European country for the initial occasion in three hundred twenty years. The country's Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer described the discovery of the two compositions a "important event for the musical community". They first caught the attention of a Bach researcher in the early nineties when he was cataloguing Bach manuscripts at the Royal Library of Belgium. The musical compositions - the D minor Chaconne and G minor composition - were dating unknown and without attribution. The researcher spent the next 30 years working to verify the identity of the pieces. Landmark Presentation They were performed at the Thomas Church in the eastern German municipality, where the composer is interred and where he worked as a music director for over two decades. The compositions were played by Dutch organist the musical performer, who said he was proud to be able to present them for the initial performance in over three centuries. He said the compositions were "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "an important addition for contemporary organ players, as they are also appropriate for smaller organs". Musical Importance They are believed to have been composed during Bach's formative years, when he was working as an organ instructor in the town of the Thuringian town in Thuringia. The researcher, who is now the director of the Bach research center in Leipzig, said they displayed several characteristics distinctive to the artist. "In terms of style, the compositions also contain aspects that can be observed in the composer's creations from that time, but not in those of different artists," he said. They are believed to have been written down in the early eighteenth century by a student of Bach, the historical figure. At a unveiling of the pieces, Mr Wollny said he was "almost completely confident that Bach had composed the two compositions" and they have now been included into the recognized inventory of his compositions. Connected Subjects: European Arts German Heritage Classical compositions Musical Arts