Long-Forgotten Bach Pieces Played for First-Ever Performance in 320 Years
Newly discovered organ compositions by the renowned composer Bach have been revealed and played in the European nation for the premiere performance in 320 years.
The country's Minister of Culture the government representative called the unearthing of the pair of works a "great moment for the musical community".
They initially attracted notice of a Bach researcher in the early nineties when he was cataloguing historical musical documents at the Brussels archive.
The organ works - the D minor Chaconne and G minor composition - were undated and anonymous. The researcher spent the next 30 years working to authenticate the authorship of the pieces.
Landmark Presentation
They were presented at the historic Leipzig church in the eastern German municipality, where the composer is interred and where he worked as a church musician for twenty-seven years.
The compositions were executed by organist from the Netherlands the musical performer, who said he was honored to be able to play them for the first time in over three centuries.
He said the pieces were "remarkably sophisticated" and would be "an important addition for contemporary organ players, as they are also appropriate for smaller organs".
Historical Significance
They are considered to have been composed early in Bach's career, when he was working as an organ instructor in the municipality of the Thuringian town in central Germany.
The researcher, who is now the head of the Bach research center in Leipzig, said they demonstrated several qualities distinctive to the artist.
"In terms of style, the pieces also include characteristics that can be found in the composer's creations from that era, but not in those of any other composer," he said.
They are considered to have been written down in the early eighteenth century by Bach's apprentice, the musical student.
At a presentation of the works, the expert said he was "almost completely confident that Bach had created the two pieces" and they have now been included into the recognized inventory of his musical output.
Related Categories:
- European Arts
- Germany
- Orchestral works
- Performance Arts
