Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille (God, You are praised in the stillness), BWV 120, is a sacred cantata written by the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach for the occasion of Ratswahl, the inauguration of a new town council of Leipzig in a church service. Parts of the cantata were used for a wedding cantata BWV 120a and a cantata BWV 120b commemorating the Augsburg Confession in 1730. Bach reworked the choral second movement for the Symbolum Nicaenum of his Mass in B minor.
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Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille was written in Leipzig for the inauguration of the newly elected town council, which took place in a festive service on the Monday following St. Bartholomäus (24 August). A first performance in 1728 or 1729 seems likely. The cantata was performed again in 1742; the autographed score of that revision is preserved, with the heading "J. J. Concerto à 4 Voci. due Hautb. due Violini, Viola, 3 Trombe, Tamburi è | Continuo".[1] Parts of the cantata were also used for the wedding cantata Herr Gott, Beherrscher aller Dinge, BWV 120a and a cantata Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille, BWV 120b for the 200th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession in 1730. The latter work's music is lost.
Bach reworked the first part of the second movement Jauchzet, ihr erfreuten Stimmen for the Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum in the Symbolum Nicaenum (Credo) of his Mass in B minor.[2]
The instrumentation reflects the festive occasion for which it was written: four soloists, four-part choir, 3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola, and basso continuo.
The first movement is based on Psalm 65:2. It is unusual for Bach to open a cantata with a solo voice, but the words "aus der Stille" (out of silence) may have prompted him to write it for alto and two oboe d'amore. The first part of the jubilant second movement, a chorus dominated by the full orchestra, was adapted for the Mass in B minor. The soprano aria with solo violin is probably based on an earlier work from Bach's time in Köthen that served as a model also for a movement of a violin sonata BWV 1019a. The tenor recitative is accompanied by strings to underline its character as a prayer for justice and future blessings. The words for the final chorale are taken from the German Te Deum "Herr Gott, dich loben wir" of Martin Luther.
Parts of the cantata were used in 1729, in a different order, for a wedding cantata, that also contained two pieces to be played after the wedding: a sinfonia similar to the opening movement of the cantata Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir, BWV 29 and a final chorale similar to the one closing the cantata Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, BWV 137.[2]
Parts of the cantata were used for a cantata to celebrate the anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, performed 26 June 1730 in the St. Thomas Church, Leipzig. The words are found in Picanders "Ernst-Scherzhaffte und Satyrische Gedichte. Dritter Theil", Leipzig, 1732. The music is lost but could be partly reconstructed according to BWV 120, parts 1, 2 and 4.
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