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Recently identified organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach have been unveiled and executed in Germany for the initial occasion in over three centuries.

The country's Cultural Affairs Minister the cultural official described the discovery of the two pieces a "great moment for the global music scene".

They first caught the attention of a musical scholar in 1992 when he was documenting the composer's papers at the Royal Library of Belgium.

The organ pieces - the Chaconne in D minor and G minor composition - were undated and without attribution. The scholar spent the next 30 years working to verify the authorship of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

They were performed at the Thomas Church in the eastern German municipality, where the composer is buried and where he served as a cantor for 27 years.

The pair of works were executed by Dutch organist Ton Koopman, who said he was proud to be able to perform them for the premiere in 320 years.

He said the pieces were "exceptionally well-crafted" and would be "a great asset for modern musicians, as they are also well-suited for reduced-scale organs".

Musical Importance

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

Mr Wollny, who is now the head of the Bach research center in the municipality, said they exhibited several features distinctive to the composer.

"Musically, the works also include characteristics that can be identified in Bach's compositions from that time, but not in those of any other composer," he said.

They are believed to have been transcribed in 1705 by Bach's apprentice, the historical figure.

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