Lost Bach Works Played for First-Ever Performance in 320 Years

Recently identified organ works by the renowned composer Bach have been revealed and played in the central European country for the initial occasion in three hundred twenty years.

The country's Cultural Affairs Minister the government representative described the discovery of the two compositions a "significant occasion for the musical community".

They first caught the attention of a musical scholar in 1992 when he was organizing Bach manuscripts at the Brussels archive.

The organ works - the Chaconne in D minor and G minor Chaconne - were dating unknown and unsigned. The scholar spent the next 30 years working to confirm the origin of the pieces.

Memorable Concert

They were played at the Thomas Church in the German city, where the composer is laid to rest and where he served as a cantor for twenty-seven years.

The pair of works were played by Dutch musician Ton Koopman, who said he was honored to be able to present them for the first time in over three centuries.

He said the compositions were "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "an important addition for modern musicians, as they are also well-suited for reduced-scale organs".

Cultural Relevance

They are considered to have been created at the beginning of Bach's professional life, when he was employed as an organ teacher in the community of the Thuringian town in Thuringia.

Mr Wollny, who is now the head of the Bach Archive in the municipality, said they displayed several characteristics particular to the musical genius.

"Musically, the pieces also contain elements that can be found in the composer's creations from that era, but not in those of different artists," he said.

They are thought to have been recorded in the early eighteenth century by one of Bach's pupils, the historical figure.

At a unveiling of the pieces, Mr Wollny said he was "99.99% sure that the composer had composed the two pieces" and they have now been included into the recognized inventory of his musical output.