In brief
Two lost organ pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, discovered by researcher Peter Wollny in 1992, have been performed for the first time in 320 years at St Thomas Church in Leipzig. The 'Chaconne in D minor BWV 1178' and 'Chaconne in G minor BWV 1179' were confirmed to be genuine Bach compositions. Music experts praise their high quality and relevance for contemporary organists.
Previously unknown organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach have been presented and performed in Germany for the first time in 320 years.
Germany's Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer called the discovery of the two pieces a great moment for the world of music.
They first caught the attention of Peter Wollny, a researcher of the German composer, in 1992 when he was cataloguing Bach manuscripts at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels.
The organ works - the Chaconne in D minor BWV 1178 and Chaconne in G minor BWV 1179 - were undated and unsigned. Mr Wollny spent the next 30 years working to confirm their identity.
They were performed at the St Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach is buried and worked as a cantor for 27 years.
The pieces were played by Dutch organist Ton Koopman, who expressed pride in performing them after three centuries. Koopman praised their high quality, suggesting they would be a valuable addition for contemporary organists, especially for smaller organs.
These compositions are believed to have been composed early in Bach's career, during his time as an organ teacher in Arnstadt, Thuringia.
Mr Wollny, now director of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, noted the uniqueness of the pieces, stating they display features characteristic of Bach's style not found in other composers' works from the same period.
Historically, the pieces are thought to have been transcribed in 1705 by one of Bach's pupils, Salomon Günther John.
At a presentation of the works, Mr Wollny expressed being 99.99% sure that Bach had written the two pieces, which have now been added to the official catalogue of his works.
