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Previously unknown organ compositions by the musical genius Bach have been unveiled and performed in the European nation for the first time in over three centuries.

The country's Culture Minister the cultural official called the finding of the two pieces a "significant occasion for the global music scene".

They first caught the attention of a Bach researcher in 1992 when he was cataloguing Bach manuscripts at the Brussels archive.

The organ works - the Chaconne composition in D minor and Chaconne in G minor - were dating unknown and without attribution. The scholar spent the next 30 years working to verify the origin of the pieces.

Memorable Concert

They were performed at the Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach is buried and where he worked as a cantor for twenty-seven years.

The pair of works were executed by Dutch musician Ton Koopman, who said he was proud to be able to present them for the first time in 320 years.

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

Historical Significance

They are believed to have been written at the beginning of Bach's professional life, when he was serving as an organ teacher in the community of the Thuringian town in central Germany.

The scholar, who is now the director of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, said they demonstrated several features distinctive to the artist.

"Musically, the compositions also include elements that can be found in the composer's creations from that era, but not in those of other musicians," he said.

They are believed to have been written down in 1705 by one of Bach's pupils, the historical figure.

At a unveiling of the compositions, the researcher said he was "99.99% sure that the composer had written the two compositions" and they have now been added into the official catalogue of his works.