Sethus Calvisius

Sethus Calvisius, originally Seth Kalwitz (b. February 21, 1556 in Gorsleben, Germany; d. November 24, 1615 in Leipzig) was a German music theorist, composer, chronologer, astronomer, and teacher of the late Renaissance.

He was born of a peasant family at Gorsleben in Thuringia. By the exercise of his musical talents he earned money enough for the start, at Helmstedt, of a university career, which the aid of a wealthy patron enabled him to continue at Leipzig. He became director of the music-school at Pforten in 1572. In 1594 he was transferred to Leipzig in the same post, including directing the choir at the Thomaskirche. [Motette in der Thomaskirche. Sonabend, den 20 September 2008. Leipzig: Merkur. ] He retained this post until his death, despite the offers successively made to him of mathematical professorships at Frankfurt and Wittenberg. In his "Opus Chronologicum" (Leipzig, 1605, 7th ed. 1685) he expounded a system based on the records of nearly 300 eclipses. An ingenious, though ineffective, proposal for the reform of the calendar was put forward in his "Elenchus Calendarii Gregoriani" (Frankfurt, 1612); and he published a book on music, "Melodiae condendae ratio" (Erfurt, 1592). He composed choral pieces including "Unser Leben währet siebzig Jahr". [Motette in der Thomaskirche. Sonabend, den 20 September 2008. Leipzig: Merkur. ]

References

*1911