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Newly discovered organ compositions by the musical genius Bach have been unveiled and played in Germany for the premiere performance in 320 years.

The nation's Minister of Culture the cultural official called the discovery of the pair of works a "great moment for the global music scene".

They first caught the attention of Peter Wollny in 1992 when he was cataloguing historical musical documents at the Brussels archive.

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

Landmark Presentation

They were presented at the St Thomas Church in the eastern German municipality, where Bach is interred and where he was employed as a music director for twenty-seven years.

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

He said the works were "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "a valuable resource for organists today, as they are also suitable for more compact instruments".

Cultural Relevance

They are thought to have been composed during Bach's formative years, when he was serving as an music instructor in the town of Arnstadt in central Germany.

The scholar, who is now the head of the musical archive in the city, said they displayed several qualities distinctive to the musical genius.

"In terms of style, the works also contain elements that can be identified in Bach's compositions from this period, but not in those of any other composer," he said.

They are thought to have been recorded in the early eighteenth century by one of Bach's pupils, the historical figure.

At a unveiling of the compositions, the researcher said he was "virtually certain that the composer had written the pair of works" and they have now been incorporated into the official catalogue of his works.