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Newly discovered musical pieces by the renowned composer Bach have been presented and executed in Germany for the premiere performance in three hundred twenty years.

The country's Minister of Culture the cultural official called the finding of the two compositions a "great moment for the world of music".

They originally drew interest of a musical scholar in 1992 when he was documenting Bach manuscripts at the Belgian royal collection.

The musical compositions - the D minor Chaconne and G minor composition - were dating unknown and anonymous. The scholar spent the subsequent thirty years working to verify the authorship of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

They were performed at the Thomas Church in Leipzig, where the composer is interred and where he was employed as a cantor for 27 years.

The pair of works were executed by Dutch organist Ton Koopman, who said he was honored to be able to play them for the initial performance in over three centuries.

He said the compositions were "exceptionally well-crafted" and would be "a great asset for organists today, as they are also suitable for smaller organs".

Musical Importance

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

Mr Wollny, who is now the head of the Bach research center in the city, said they demonstrated several characteristics particular to the musical genius.

"Stylistically, the compositions also include characteristics that can be identified in the composer's creations from that era, but not in those of any other composer," he said.

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

At a revealing of the works, Mr Wollny said he was "almost completely confident that the composer had created the two compositions" and they have now been incorporated into the authoritative listing of his musical output.