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Newly discovered organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach have been presented and performed in the central European country for the first time in over three centuries.

The country's Cultural Affairs Minister Wolfram Weimer labeled the finding of the pair of works a "great moment for the musical community".

They first caught the attention of a Bach researcher in the early nineties when he was organizing the composer's papers at the Royal Library of Belgium.

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

Landmark Presentation

They were presented at the St Thomas Church in the German city, where Bach is laid to rest and where he was employed as a church musician for twenty-seven years.

The pair of works were executed by Dutch musician the renowned organist, who said he was proud to be able to perform them for the premiere in over three centuries.

He said the works were "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "an important addition for modern musicians, as they are also appropriate for reduced-scale organs".

Musical Importance

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

The researcher, who is now the director of the musical archive in Leipzig, said they exhibited several features distinctive to the composer.

"Stylistically, the works also feature elements that can be observed in Bach's compositions from that time, but not in those of different artists," he said.

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

At a unveiling of the compositions, the researcher said he was "virtually certain that Bach had composed the two pieces" and they have now been added into the official catalogue of his musical output.