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Previously unknown organ compositions by the musical genius Bach have been presented and performed in Germany for the premiere performance in over three centuries.

Germany's Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer described the finding of the two pieces a "important event for the global music scene".

They originally drew interest of a Bach researcher in 1992 when he was cataloguing the composer's papers at the Belgian royal collection.

The organ works - the Chaconne in D minor and G minor Chaconne - were without dates and unsigned. The scholar spent the subsequent thirty years working to verify the identity of the pieces.

Memorable Concert

They were presented at the historic Leipzig church in the eastern German municipality, where Bach is buried and where he worked as a cantor for twenty-seven years.

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

He said the works were "of a very high quality" and would be "an important addition for contemporary organ players, as they are also suitable for smaller organs".

Cultural Relevance

They are believed to have been written early in Bach's career, when he was working as an organ instructor in the town of Arnstadt in the German region.

The scholar, who is now the head of the musical archive in the municipality, said they exhibited several qualities particular to the artist.

"In terms of style, the pieces also feature characteristics that can be found in the composer's creations from that era, but not in those of any other composer," he said.

They are thought to have been transcribed in the early eighteenth century by a student of Bach, the musical student.

At a revealing of the pieces, Mr Wollny said he was "99.99% sure that Bach had written the two pieces" and they have now been added into the authoritative listing of his works.