Missing Johann Sebastian Bach Pieces Presented for First Time in 320 Years
Recently identified organ compositions by the musical genius Bach have been presented and performed in the central European country for the initial occasion in three hundred twenty years.
The nation's Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer labeled the discovery of the two pieces a "significant occasion for the musical community".
They first caught the attention of a musical scholar in 1992 when he was documenting historical musical documents at the Brussels archive.
The organ pieces - the D minor Chaconne and Chaconne in G minor - were undated and without attribution. The scholar spent the subsequent thirty years working to confirm the authorship of the pieces.
Memorable Concert
They were played at the Thomas Church in the eastern German municipality, where the composer is buried and where he served as a music director for 27 years.
The two pieces were played by organist from the Netherlands the musical performer, who said he was privileged to be able to present them for the first time in three hundred twenty years.
He said the pieces were "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "an important addition for modern musicians, as they are also appropriate for more compact instruments".
Historical Significance
They are believed to have been composed early in Bach's career, when he was serving as an organ instructor in the community of the Thuringian town in the German region.
Mr Wollny, who is now the leader of the Bach Archive in the municipality, said they exhibited several characteristics unique to the musical genius.
"Stylistically, the compositions also contain aspects that can be observed in Bach's compositions from this period, but not in those of different artists," he said.
They are thought to have been transcribed in the early eighteenth century by one of Bach's pupils, the historical figure.
At a presentation of the pieces, the researcher said he was "99.99% sure that Bach had written the pair of works" and they have now been included into the recognized inventory of his compositions.
Connected Subjects:
- European Arts
- German Heritage
- Classical music
- Music
