Two newly attributed organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach were presented in Leipzig on 17 November 2025, expanding the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV) with the additions BWV 1178 and BWV 1179. The pieces — the Ciacona in d minor and the Ciacona in g minor — were performed in what is believed to be their first public presentation in 320 years, during a streamed ceremony at the Thomaskirche.
The identification
The attribution is the result of more than three decades of research by Peter Wollny, director of the Bach-Archiv Leipzig. Although Wollny first encountered the compositions over 30 years ago in the Royal Library of Belgium, the decisive clue came only recently with the identification of the copyist. The finding was made during work on the BACH Research Portal, a long-term project of the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig, which is digitally cataloguing archival sources related to the entire Bach family.
The sources
Both works survive anonymously in a manuscript held at the Bibliothèque royale de Belgique / Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, Brussels (Ms II 3911 Mus, Fétis 2013). With the new attribution confirmed, the pieces have now been incorporated into Bach digital as BWV 1178 (Ciacona and Fuga in d) and BWV 1179 (Ciacona in g).
The premiere
During the event, Dutch organist Ton Koopman performed the works at the Thomaskirche. The presentation took place in the presence of leading officials, including Wolfram Weimer, Germany’s Minister of State for Culture, and Burkhard Jung, Mayor of Leipzig. The scores were simultaneously published by Breitkopf & Härtel, making them immediately accessible to the public.
Context
The discovery marks a rare expansion of Bach’s known output and adds valuable insight into the composer’s early creative years. Both pieces date from around Bach’s eighteenth year, offering a glimpse into his formative development as an organ composer and his engagement with large-scale variation forms such as the ciaccona.
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