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Previously unknown organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach have been presented and executed in the European nation for the premiere performance in 320 years.

The country's Minister of Culture the cultural official described the discovery of the two pieces a "great moment for the musical community".

They originally drew interest of Peter Wollny in 1992 when he was documenting Bach manuscripts at the Belgian royal collection.

The organ pieces - the Chaconne in D minor and G minor composition - were undated and unsigned. Mr Wollny spent the following three decades working to authenticate the authorship of the pieces.

Landmark Presentation

They were presented at the St Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach is laid to rest and where he served as a church musician for 27 years.

The pair of works were played by Dutch musician Ton Koopman, who said he was privileged to be able to perform them for the first time in three hundred twenty years.

He said the pieces were "exceptionally well-crafted" and would be "a valuable resource for organists today, as they are also appropriate for more compact instruments".

Cultural Relevance

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

Mr Wollny, who is now the head of the Bach Archive in the city, said they demonstrated several qualities distinctive to the composer.

"In terms of style, the works also contain characteristics that can be observed in Bach's works from that era, but not in those of other musicians," he said.

They are considered to have been transcribed in 1705 by a student of Bach, the historical figure.

At a unveiling of the compositions, the expert said he was "almost completely confident that Bach had created the two pieces" and they have now been incorporated into the official catalogue of his musical output.