You wouldn't believe it, yet it's true: two works by Johan Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) have been discovered in Brussels. This means that the catalog list known as BWV (Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis) with all of Bach's known works has been expanded. This is big news for the music world. What's not new, of course, is that these works are actually 'new'. They were part of the Fétis collection in Brussels. Read the official press release below.
Brussels / Leipzig, November 17, 2025 – Two previously unknown organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach have been discovered in the exceptional Fétis collection, held at the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR). These pieces, recently authenticated by the Bach-Archiv Leipzig, were unveiled on November 17 during an extraordinary concert at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig.
The catalog of Bach's works will henceforth be expanded with two new pieces: the Chaconne in D minor BWV 1178 and the Chaconne in G minor BWV 1179. After years of research, Peter Wollny, director of the Bach-Archiv Leipzig, was able to confidently attribute these compositions to Johann Sebastian Bach, after discovering that the copies, made around 1705, were created by his student Salomon Günther John.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Peter Wollny explains: "Today we can say with certainty that the copies were made around 1705 by Salomon Günther John, a student of Bach. Stylistically, these works also exhibit characteristics typical of Bach's compositions from that period, which cannot be found in any other composer's work. I wish to express my sincere thanks to my colleagues at the Royal Library of Belgium and the Bach-Archiv Leipzig for their years of support in this research. My gratitude also goes to our foundation's partners – the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, the state of Saxony, and the city of Leipzig – for their continued confidence in the work of the Bach-Archiv and for the financial support that makes our mission possible."
The works are preserved in a manuscript from the Fétis collection, a monumental collection compiled by musicologist and composer François-Joseph Fétis (1784–1871), the first director of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. During his lifetime, he built an extensive library, consisting primarily of music documents, which is now held at the KBR.
This collection also includes an autograph by Bach: the Suite for Lute BWV 995 (an adaptation of the fifth cello suite BWV 1011), which can be consulted online here.
About this collection, Marie Cornaz, curator of the music department at the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), says: "With the François-Joseph Fétis collection (1784–1871), the Royal Library of Belgium preserves an exceptional treasure of precious manuscripts and prints from the 15th to the 19th century, of incalculable value for international musicological research. Our institution is among the most important reference libraries in Europe, and we are particularly delighted that our Bach collection is today enriched with two new works."
The two chaconnes have just been published by the music publisher Breitkopf & Härtel (Leipzig) and are now accessible to the general public. The digital images of the KBR manuscript in which the works are preserved can also be consulted online here.
The inaugural concert, the first public performance of these works in 320 years, performed at the Thomaskirche by Dutch organist Ton Koopman, is available upon request through the Bach-Archiv Leipzig's channels.
The Bach-Archiv Leipzig, the international research center dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach, celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025. The institute researches the life, music, and legacy of the composer and the extensive musical Bach family. It also preserves and provides access to this heritage as cultural and educational wealth. The Bach-Archiv is part of the Conference of National Cultural Institutions and is one of Germany's cultural landmarks.
