LEIPZIG, GERMANY – Two complex organ compositions, believed to have been written by Johann Sebastian Bach around 1705 when he was a young music teacher, were performed publicly for the first time in approximately 320 years on Monday, 17 November 2025. The premiere took place at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, the historic site where Bach served as cantor for 27 years and is now buried.

The works, titled "Chaconne in D minor, BWV 1178" and "Chaconne in G minor, BWV 1179," were officially added to the Bach Works Catalogue (BWV) on the same day. The announcement and performance mark the conclusion of more than three decades of scholarly research led by Professor Peter Wollny, the director of the Leipzig Bach Archive. Germany's Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, hailed the discovery as a "global sensation" and a "great moment for the world of music."

A Decades-Long Puzzle

The journey to authentication was a meticulous process. Prof. Wollny first encountered the anonymous and undated manuscripts in 1992 at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels. For years, he and his colleagues gathered stylistic evidence suggesting Bach's authorship, noting compositional techniques unique to the composer's early period. Wollny stated he had amassed about 20 "puzzle pieces" pointing to Bach, but definitive proof remained elusive.

The critical breakthrough came with the identification of the manuscript's copyist. Researchers had previously found a 1729 letter with similar handwriting from a little-known organist named Salomon Günther John, who claimed to have been Bach's pupil in the town of Arnstadt, Thuringia. However, the time gap and slight handwriting differences required more evidence. It was only recently that Wollny's colleague, Dr. Bernd Koska, discovered an earlier court document written by John around 1705. The handwriting in this earlier document was a definitive match, confirming that John had copied the scores, likely under Bach's supervision. "I searched for a long time for the missing piece of the puzzle to identify the compositions – now the whole picture is clear," Wollny said at the presentation on Monday.

Global Significance, Local Context

The premiere was performed by the renowned Dutch organist Ton Koopman, who described the works as being "of a very high quality." The discovery adds valuable repertoire for organists worldwide and offers fresh insight into the prodigious talent of the composer as a young man, estimated to be around 18 years old at the time of composition. The pieces are chaconnes, a musical form involving a series of variations over a repeated bass line, and incorporate complex features like fugues that were characteristic of Bach's style.

While the discovery has no direct ties to Kenya, it resonates within the country's growing classical music scene. Institutions like the Kenya Conservatoire of Music and the Nairobi Music Society have fostered an appreciation for Western classical music for decades. The country has produced accomplished classical musicians, and the historic pipe organs at venues like All Saints' Cathedral in Nairobi, installed in 1934, stand as a testament to the genre's long-standing presence. This global event enriches the historical canon that Kenyan musicians and audiences engage with, providing new material for study and performance and reinforcing the universal and enduring appeal of classical music.

The official ceremony and performance in Leipzig were livestreamed, allowing the global Bach community, including enthusiasts in East Africa, to witness the historic unveiling. The sheet music has been made available by the publisher Breitkopf & Härtel, ensuring that these rediscovered works can be performed in concert halls and churches around the world.