Missing Johann Sebastian Bach Compositions Played for First Time in Three Centuries
Previously unknown musical pieces by the renowned composer Bach have been presented and played in Germany for the premiere performance in 320 years.
Germany's Minister of Culture the government representative called the unearthing of the two compositions a "great moment for the global music scene".
They originally drew interest of a Bach researcher in the early nineties when he was cataloguing Bach manuscripts at the Belgian royal collection.
The organ pieces - the Chaconne in D minor and Chaconne in G minor - were without dates and anonymous. The researcher spent the following three decades working to verify the authorship of the pieces.
Landmark Presentation
They were played at the historic Leipzig church in the German city, where the composer is interred and where he served as a church musician for 27 years.
The pair of works were performed by Dutch organist the renowned organist, who said he was honored to be able to play them for the initial performance in three hundred twenty years.
He said the compositions were "of a very high quality" and would be "an important addition for contemporary organ players, as they are also suitable for reduced-scale organs".
Cultural Relevance
They are considered to have been written at the beginning of Bach's professional life, when he was serving as an music instructor in the municipality of Arnstadt in the German region.
The scholar, who is now the leader of the Bach Archive in the municipality, said they demonstrated several qualities distinctive to the composer.
"Musically, the works also feature elements that can be found in Bach's works from that era, but not in those of different artists," he said.
They are considered to have been recorded in the early eighteenth century by Bach's apprentice, Salomon Günther John.
At a presentation of the compositions, the researcher said he was "99.99% sure that Bach had composed the pair of works" and they have now been added into the official catalogue of his works.
- Europe
- German Heritage
- Orchestral works
- Musical Arts