Long-Forgotten Bach Compositions Presented for First Time in 320 Years
Newly discovered organ compositions by the musical genius Bach have been unveiled and performed in Germany for the initial occasion in three hundred twenty years.
Germany's Cultural Affairs Minister Wolfram Weimer called the discovery of the two pieces a "important event for the world of music".
They initially attracted notice of a musical scholar in 1992 when he was documenting Bach manuscripts at the Brussels archive.
The musical compositions - the Chaconne composition in D minor and Chaconne in G minor - were undated and anonymous. The scholar spent the next 30 years working to confirm the origin of the pieces.
Historic Performance
They were played at the St Thomas Church in the German city, where the composer is laid to rest and where he served as a church musician for twenty-seven years.
The two pieces were played by Dutch musician the musical performer, who said he was proud to be able to play them for the initial performance in three hundred twenty years.
He said the pieces were "exceptionally well-crafted" and would be "an important addition for modern musicians, as they are also suitable for more compact instruments".
Musical Importance
They are thought to have been composed during Bach's formative years, when he was working as an organ teacher in the town of the German town in the German region.
The scholar, who is now the head of the Bach research center in the municipality, said they demonstrated several features unique to the musical genius.
"In terms of style, the works also contain aspects that can be identified in Bach's works from that era, but not in those of other musicians," he said.
They are thought to have been recorded in the early eighteenth century by a student of Bach, Salomon Günther John.
At a presentation of the pieces, the expert said he was "virtually certain that Bach had created the two compositions" and they have now been incorporated into the authoritative listing of his compositions.
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