Long-Forgotten Johann Sebastian Bach Pieces Played for First-Ever Performance in Three Centuries
Previously unknown organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach have been presented and executed in the European nation for the premiere performance in 320 years.
The nation's Minister of Culture the government representative called the unearthing of the two compositions a "significant occasion for the global music scene".
They first caught the attention of Peter Wollny in 1992 when he was organizing Bach manuscripts at the Brussels archive.
The musical compositions - the D minor Chaconne and Chaconne in G minor - were dating unknown and without attribution. The scholar spent the next 30 years working to authenticate the identity of the pieces.
Historic Performance
They were performed at the Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach is laid to rest and where he was employed as a church musician for 27 years.
The pair of works were executed by Dutch organist Ton Koopman, 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 "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "a great asset for modern musicians, as they are also appropriate for smaller organs".
Musical Importance
They are believed to have been written during Bach's formative years, when he was serving as an music instructor in the community of the Thuringian town in central Germany.
Mr Wollny, who is now the director of the Bach research center in the city, said they displayed several characteristics particular to the artist.
"Stylistically, the compositions also feature aspects that can be observed in the composer's creations from that time, but not in those of any other composer," he said.
They are believed to have been written down in the early eighteenth century by Bach's apprentice, the historical figure.
At a revealing of the works, the researcher said he was "almost completely confident that Bach had created the two compositions" and they have now been added into the recognized inventory of his compositions.
- European Culture
- German Heritage
- Classical compositions
- Musical Arts