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Newly discovered organ works by the musical genius Bach have been presented and performed in the European nation for the premiere performance in over three centuries.

The nation's Minister of Culture the cultural official called the discovery of the two compositions a "great moment for the musical community".

They originally drew interest of a Bach researcher in 1992 when he was cataloguing the composer's papers at the Belgian royal collection.

The organ works - the D minor Chaconne and G minor Chaconne - were without dates and anonymous. The scholar spent the subsequent thirty years working to verify the identity of the pieces.

Memorable Concert

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

The compositions were played by organist from the Netherlands the musical performer, who said he was proud to be able to play them for the first time in three hundred twenty years.

He said the works were "exceptionally well-crafted" and would be "a valuable resource for organists today, as they are also appropriate for smaller organs".

Cultural Relevance

They are believed to have been created early in Bach's career, when he was employed as an organ instructor in the municipality of Arnstadt in the German region.

The scholar, who is now the head of the Bach Archive in the municipality, said they exhibited several qualities distinctive to the artist.

"Musically, the works also contain elements that can be observed in Bach's compositions from that time, but not in those of other musicians," he said.

They are considered to have been transcribed in 1705 by one of Bach's pupils, the historical figure.

At a unveiling of the compositions, the expert said he was "virtually certain that Bach had composed the two pieces" and they have now been incorporated into the official catalogue of his compositions.