Two previously unconfirmed organ chaconnes — BWV 1178 (D minor) and BWV 1179 (G minor) — have been added to Bach's official catalogue after researchers identified the copyist as Salomon Guenther John. The manuscripts are now dated to around 1705 and were performed at St Thomas Church in Leipzig for the first time in about 320 years. Experts described the pieces as high-quality, early works likely to join standard organ repertoire.
Two Newly Attributed Bach Chaconnes (BWV 1178 & 1179) Revealed and Performed in Leipzig
Two previously unconfirmed organ chaconnes — BWV 1178 (D minor) and BWV 1179 (G minor) — have been added to Bach's official catalogue after researchers identified the copyist as Salomon Guenther John. The manuscripts are now dated to around 1705 and were performed at St Thomas Church in Leipzig for the first time in about 320 years. Experts described the pieces as high-quality, early works likely to join standard organ repertoire.
10:08 AM, 11/18/2025Culture
Two long-lost organ chaconnes written in Bach's youth have been definitively attributed to the composer and publicly performed for the first time in centuries. The works — the Chaconne in D minor, BWV 1178, and the Chaconne in G minor, BWV 1179 — were unveiled on Monday and added to the official Bach catalogue.
Discovery and Attribution
The manuscripts were first noticed by Bach researcher Peter Wollny at the Royal Library of Belgium in 1992, but until now their authorship remained uncertain because the surviving copies were undated and unsigned. Scholars have long suspected an early-18th-century origin, and stylistic features pointed toward Bach's early period when he worked in Arnstadt as an organ teacher.
Recent palaeographic work identified the copyist as Salomon Guenther John, a former pupil of Bach in Arnstadt. Researchers first noticed similarities with a 1729 letter by John; the match became conclusive only after earlier samples of his handwriting from the same period as the manuscripts were found. According to the Bach Archive, these findings allow them to date the copies to around 1705, when Bach was about 18 years old.
What the Experts Said
At a press briefing ahead of the performance, Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer called the attribution a "global sensation" and "a great moment for the world of music." Bach scholar Peter Wollny described the new handwriting samples as the "missing piece of the puzzle" that confirms John as the copyist. Ton Koopman, the Dutch organist and director of the Bach Archive who performed the works, praised their craftsmanship and vivacity, calling them "of a very high quality."
"We can now say with certainty that the copies were made around 1705 by Bach's pupil Salomon Guenther John." — Peter Wollny
First Modern Performance
Both chaconnes were played publicly for the first time in roughly 320 years at St Thomas Church in Leipzig, the city where Bach served as cantor for 27 years and where he is buried. The D minor chaconne lasted about six and a half minutes in performance, while the G minor chaconne ran approximately three and a half minutes.
Significance
Chaconnes are variations over a repeated harmonic or bass pattern; these two works add valuable, early-period material to Bach's organ repertoire. Ton Koopman predicted organists will welcome the pieces as "virtuoso, lively new repertoire" and incorporate them into regular performance.
Context and Past Finds
The Bach Archive in Leipzig — founded 75 years ago — has overseen several important rediscoveries. Notable past finds include an organ piece identified in 2008, "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns haelt," and a previously lost cantata rediscovered in 2004 in the papers of Japanese pianist Chieko Hara. The Archive continues to catalogue and authenticate sources connected to Bach's life and work.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685 and died in 1750. He is best known for works such as the Brandenburg Concertos and was later praised by Ludwig van Beethoven as "the immortal god of harmony."