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Recently identified organ works by the musical genius Bach have been unveiled and executed in the central European country for the first time in over three centuries.

The nation's Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer described the unearthing of the two compositions a "significant occasion for the musical community".

They initially attracted notice of a musical scholar in 1992 when he was documenting the composer's papers at the Belgian royal collection.

The organ works - the Chaconne composition in D minor and G minor composition - were undated and without attribution. The scholar spent the subsequent thirty years working to confirm the origin of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

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

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

He said the compositions were "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "an important addition for contemporary organ players, as they are also well-suited for more compact instruments".

Musical Importance

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

Mr Wollny, who is now the director of the Bach Archive in the city, said they exhibited several characteristics distinctive to the musical genius.

"Stylistically, the compositions also feature elements that can be identified in the composer's creations from this period, but not in those of other musicians," he said.

They are believed to have been recorded in 1705 by Bach's apprentice, Salomon Günther John.

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