Halle, Germany  - As 12 European cities marked "Handel Special Day" with concerts of the Anglo-German composer's music, orchestras played funeral music Sunday in his hometown, the eastern German city of Halle.

"The concert in our Market Church was a sell-out," said Bianca Berger, spokeswoman for the Handel birthplace trust in Halle.

Handel (1685-1759) was born in Germany and baptized in the church. He later became a British citizen. The concerts were organized to mark the 250th anniversary last Tuesday of his death in London.

Halle, Germany  - A lost musical composition by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) has been discovered in a treasure trove of manuscripts in Germany, the University of Halle said Tuesday.

The piece, which would take 5 to 7 minutes to play, was a "fantasy" or variation on an old German choral melody titled, Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns haelt, the university said.

Two musicologists discovered it in the 19th century papers of the editor of the first complete works of Bach, Wilhelm Rust (1822-1892). The Halle university library purchased his papers several weeks ago.

Baroque composer Bach is one of the greatest authors of organ music ever.

The fantasy had been thought lost, with only the first five bars known.