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Recently identified organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach have been unveiled and executed in the European nation for the first time in 320 years.

The country's Minister of Culture the government representative called the discovery of the two pieces a "significant occasion for the world of music".

They first caught the attention of Peter Wollny in the early nineties when he was documenting historical musical documents at the Brussels archive.

The organ pieces - the D minor Chaconne and G minor Chaconne - were without dates and unsigned. The researcher spent the next 30 years working to confirm the authorship of the pieces.

Historic Performance

They were presented at the Thomas Church in the German city, where the composer is interred and where he worked as a church musician for twenty-seven years.

The two pieces were executed by Dutch organist Ton Koopman, who said he was privileged to be able to play them for the initial performance in 320 years.

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

Cultural Relevance

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

The researcher, who is now the director of the Bach Archive in the municipality, said they demonstrated several qualities distinctive to the composer.

"Stylistically, the pieces also feature elements that can be found in Bach's works from that era, but not in those of different artists," he said.

They are considered to have been transcribed in 1705 by a student of Bach, the historical figure.

At a revealing of the compositions, the expert said he was "virtually certain that Bach had composed the pair of works" and they have now been included into the recognized inventory of his compositions.