Two newly discovered Bach organ works unveiled in Germany

"A couple long-lost organ pieces written by a teenage Johann Sebastian Bach were unveiled in Germany on Monday in a discovery described as a 'great moment for the world of music'. The two solo organ works, written while Bach was working as an organ teacher in the town of Arnstadt in Thuringia early in his career, first caught the attention of researchers over 30 years ago."

"But it is only now that experts have been able to prove they were written by Bach after finally confirming the identity of the person who penned the manuscripts. The Chaconne in D minor BWV 1178 and Chaconne in G minor BWV 1179 have been added to the official catalogue of Bach's works as of Monday. They were also performed for the first time in 320 years at the St Thomas Church in Leipzig,"

"Bach researcher Peter Wollny first came across the works in the Royal Library of Belgium in 1992, according to the Bach Archive in Leipzig, which documents and researches the composer's life and work. READ ALSO: How hearing Bach at Easter gave me a deeper appreciation for learning German 'Missing puzzle piece' The manuscripts were undated and unsigned but are thought to have been written in around 1705, when Bach would have been 18 years old."

Two solo organ chaconnes composed by a teenage Johann Sebastian Bach have been authenticated and added to the official catalogue as BWV 1178 and BWV 1179. The undated, unsigned manuscripts were discovered in the Royal Library of Belgium and first noticed in 1992 by Bach researcher Peter Wollny. Handwriting comparisons with a 1729 letter by former Arnstadt pupil Salomon Guenther John enabled experts to confirm the identity of the copyist and attribute the works to Bach, thought to have been composed around 1705 when he was about 18. The pieces received their first performance in 320 years at St Thomas Church in Leipzig.

Read at The Local Germany