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Previously unknown organ compositions by the musical genius Bach have been presented and played in the European nation for the first time in three hundred twenty years.

Germany's Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer labeled the discovery of the pair of works a "significant occasion for the world of music".

They initially attracted notice of a Bach researcher in 1992 when he was cataloguing the composer's papers at the Brussels archive.

The organ pieces - the Chaconne composition in D minor and G minor composition - were without dates and anonymous. Mr Wollny spent the next 30 years working to verify the authorship of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

They were presented at the historic Leipzig church in the eastern German municipality, where Bach is buried and where he served as a music director for 27 years.

The compositions were performed by Dutch musician the musical performer, who said he was proud to be able to play them for the initial performance in over three centuries.

He said the works were "remarkably sophisticated" 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 created early in Bach's career, when he was working as an music instructor in the town of the German town in central Germany.

Mr Wollny, who is now the head of the Bach research center in Leipzig, said they exhibited several features unique to the artist.

"In terms of style, the compositions also feature elements that can be observed in the composer's creations from that time, but not in those of different artists," he said.

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

At a revealing of the compositions, the researcher said he was "virtually certain that Bach had created the two pieces" and they have now been added into the authoritative listing of his compositions.