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Newly discovered musical pieces by the renowned composer Bach have been presented and executed in the European nation for the first time in three hundred twenty years.

Germany's Cultural Affairs Minister Wolfram Weimer called the finding of the two pieces a "great moment for the world of music".

They first caught the attention of a musical scholar in 1992 when he was documenting historical musical documents at the Belgian royal collection.

The organ works - the Chaconne composition in D minor and Chaconne in G minor - were undated and anonymous. The scholar spent the subsequent thirty years working to verify the origin of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

They were performed at the historic Leipzig church in Leipzig, where the composer is buried and where he was employed as a cantor for over two decades.

The two pieces were performed by organist from the Netherlands Ton Koopman, who said he was privileged to be able to present them for the first time in three hundred twenty years.

He said the works were "of a very high quality" and would be "a valuable resource for modern musicians, as they are also well-suited for smaller organs".

Musical Importance

They are considered to have been written during Bach's formative years, when he was working as an organ instructor in the town of Arnstadt in the German region.

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

"Musically, the pieces also feature aspects that can be identified in Bach's compositions from that era, but not in those of other musicians," he said.

They are considered to have been written down in 1705 by Bach's apprentice, the historical figure.

At a presentation of the compositions, Mr Wollny said he was "99.99% sure that the composer had created the pair of works" and they have now been incorporated into the recognized inventory of his compositions.