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Previously unknown organ compositions by the renowned composer Bach have been unveiled and performed in the European nation for the initial occasion in 320 years.

Germany's Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer described the unearthing of the two pieces a "significant occasion for the global music scene".

They originally drew interest of Peter Wollny 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 Chaconne - were undated and without attribution. The scholar spent the next 30 years working to confirm the origin of the pieces.

Historic Performance

They were performed at the St Thomas Church in the eastern German municipality, where Bach is laid to rest and where he worked as a cantor for over two decades.

The pair of works were executed by Dutch organist the renowned organist, who said he was privileged to be able to play them for the initial performance in three hundred twenty years.

He said the pieces were "exceptionally well-crafted" and would be "an important addition for organists today, as they are also suitable for smaller organs".

Musical Importance

They are believed to have been written during Bach's formative years, when he was employed as an organ teacher in the municipality of the Thuringian town in central Germany.

Mr Wollny, who is now the director of the Bach research center in Leipzig, said they exhibited several qualities particular to the musical genius.

"Musically, the pieces also include characteristics that can be observed in the composer's creations from this period, but not in those of other musicians," he said.

They are considered to have been written down in the early eighteenth century by a student of Bach, the historical figure.

At a unveiling of the pieces, the expert said he was "almost completely confident that the composer had composed the two pieces" and they have now been included into the official catalogue of his compositions.