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Previously unknown organ compositions by the musical genius Bach have been unveiled and performed in the central European country for the premiere performance in over three centuries.

The nation's Culture Minister the cultural official described the finding of the two pieces a "significant occasion for the world of music".

They initially attracted notice of Peter Wollny in 1992 when he was documenting historical musical documents at the Belgian royal collection.

The musical compositions - the Chaconne composition in D minor and Chaconne in G minor - were undated and anonymous. Mr Wollny spent the next 30 years working to authenticate the origin of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

They were played at the St Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach is laid to rest and where he was employed as a church musician for over two decades.

The two pieces were executed by organist from the Netherlands the renowned organist, who said he was proud to be able to perform them for the first time in over three centuries.

He said the works were "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "a valuable resource for modern musicians, as they are also suitable for smaller organs".

Musical Importance

They are believed to have been composed early in Bach's career, when he was serving as an organ teacher in the town of the Thuringian town in Thuringia.

The scholar, who is now the leader of the Bach research center in the city, said they exhibited several qualities distinctive to the composer.

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

They are considered to have been recorded in the early eighteenth century by Bach's apprentice, Salomon Günther John.

At a unveiling of the pieces, Mr Wollny said he was "almost completely confident that the composer had composed the two compositions" and they have now been included into the recognized inventory of his musical output.