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Newly discovered musical pieces by the musical genius Bach have been presented and performed in the central European country for the premiere performance in 320 years.

The country's Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer described the discovery of the two pieces a "important event for the world of music".

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

The organ works - the Chaconne in D minor and G minor Chaconne - were dating unknown and anonymous. The scholar spent the following three decades working to verify the origin of the pieces.

Memorable Concert

They were presented at the St Thomas Church in the German city, where Bach is laid to rest and where he worked as a cantor for over two decades.

The compositions were performed by organist from the Netherlands Ton Koopman, who said he was privileged to be able to play them for the premiere in over three centuries.

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

Musical Importance

They are considered to have been composed at the beginning of Bach's professional life, when he was employed as an organ instructor in the town of Arnstadt in central Germany.

The researcher, who is now the director of the musical archive in the city, said they displayed several qualities particular to the composer.

"Musically, the compositions also include characteristics that can be found in Bach's compositions from that time, but not in those of other musicians," he said.

They are thought to have been recorded in the early eighteenth century by a student of Bach, Salomon Günther John.

At a presentation of the pieces, the researcher said he was "almost completely confident that Bach had composed the two compositions" and they have now been incorporated into the recognized inventory of his works.