Johann Kuhnau (1660–1722), Bach’s predecessor as the Thomaskantor, often lives in the shadow of Bach.  However, it was Kuhnau who inspired Bach in his choice of the title Clavier-Übung for four keyboard publications, and collaborated with Bach in the examination of an organ atHalle (birthplace of Handel) in 1716. Kuhnau was not only a remarkable composer in his own right, but was also a practiced lawyer, a prolific theorist, a talented linguist, and even wrote a satirical novel, Der musicalische Quacksalber (1700), on what he considered to be the shallow and superficial trends in contemporary music.

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Gott sei mir gnädig nach deiner Güte, a settingof verses 3 to 10 from Psalm 51, composed in 1705, is one of the sevenpenitential psalms (in Latin: Miserere mei Deus). This setting’s overtlyrhetorical approach has its heritage in the style of Schütz, wherein thestresses of individual syllables are followed along with a specific color givento particularly important words. Likewise, the instrumental scoring, with splitviolas, is typical of the 17th century. The opening sonata isdominated by descending chromatic figures, and leads uninterrupted tothe chorus, which reflects the dark mood of the text. It is followed by twosolos for alto; in the first the words "wash (me)" and "cleanse(me)" are singled out through melismas. The fourth section, for fourvoices, includes some sever harmonic tension: "Against thee, thee only Ihave sinned". The next section opens with a tenor recitative, followed byan arioso-like episode for bass, and closes with a fugal passage. The closingsection also includes a fugal episode, and in the last line the word"zerschlagen" (broken) is set to marked dissonances.

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