In recent years, many pieces have surfaced by well known classical composers. Among these newly discovered works are a string trio by Mozart, a late character piece by Liszt, and a waltz by Chopin. While these discoveries are very exciting in their own right, these compositions recently confirmed to be by J.S. Bach are of particular interest.
The Chaconne and Fugue in D minor, BWV 1178, and Chaconne in G minor, BWV 1179, were originally discovered over thirty years ago in the Royal Library of Belgium. The manuscripts did not indicate an author, and the writing was not in Bach’s hand, so discovering the true author of these two organ works would be very difficult for Bach scholars. However, a research team led by Peter Wollny was eventually able to authenticate that these pieces were indeed written by Johann Sebastian Bach. This was done using a letter from 1729 by Salomon Günther John, who studied with J.S. Bach in Arnstadt. With the help of other letters, they were able to conclude that Salomon Günther John had copied the two chaconnes during his studies with Bach.
These two compositions occupy an interesting place in Bach’s oeuvre. They were written by the young J.S. Bach during his time at the Neue Kirche in Arnstadt, and are full of the unexpected twists and improvisatory features typical of these earlier organ compositions. The influence of Georg Böhm, who taught J.S. Bach in Lüneburg, can clearly be observed throughout these chaconnes. The chaconne form itself consists of variations over an ostinato, which is simply a phrase that repeats over and over again. While it was previously thought that Bach did not use the form often, these two newly discovered pieces show that he had been experimenting with the form before his major contributions to the genre like the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582. The use of the chaconne form in BWV 1178 and BWV 1179 however is closer in spirit to the chaconnes of Böhm and Pachelbel, in contrast to the later and more complex BWV 582 which hinted at the the composer’s more architecturally focused mature style.
These two pieces were recently presented for the first time on November 17th, 2025 with the help of the Bach-Archiv. They were both performed together by organist Ton Koopman in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. While they were only recently attributed to Bach, I believe they will eventually become as well known as Bach’s other organ compositions. The chaconnes are both very well written and would make an excellent addition to any organ recital program.