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Recently identified organ works by the renowned composer Bach have been unveiled and performed in the European nation for the initial occasion in three hundred twenty years.

Germany's Cultural Affairs Minister Wolfram Weimer labeled the discovery of the two compositions a "significant occasion for the musical community".

They originally drew interest of Peter Wollny in 1992 when he was cataloguing the composer's papers at the Royal Library of Belgium.

The organ pieces - the Chaconne in D minor and Chaconne in G minor - were undated and without attribution. The scholar spent the next 30 years working to authenticate the authorship of the pieces.

Historic Performance

They were played at the Thomas Church in the eastern German municipality, where Bach is buried and where he worked as a church musician for 27 years.

The two pieces were executed by Dutch musician the renowned organist, who said he was proud to be able to present them for the first time in three hundred twenty years.

He said the pieces were "exceptionally well-crafted" and would be "a valuable resource for contemporary organ players, as they are also well-suited for more compact instruments".

Cultural Relevance

They are believed to have been composed early in Bach's career, when he was working as an organ teacher in the town of the Thuringian town in the German region.

The researcher, who is now the leader of the musical archive in the city, said they demonstrated several characteristics distinctive to the composer.

"Stylistically, the works also feature aspects that can be identified in Bach's works from this period, but not in those of any other composer," he said.

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

At a presentation of the pieces, 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.