{{Short description|German composer}} thumb|Sethus Calvisius '''Sethus Calvisius''' or '''Setho Calvisio''', originally '''Seth Kalwitz''' (21 February 1556 – 24 November 1615), was a German music theorist, composer, chronologer, astronomer, and teacher of the late Renaissance.

==Biography== He was born into a peasant family at Gorsleben in present-day 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 Pforta in 1572. In 1594 he was transferred to Leipzig in the same post, including directing the Thomanerchor at the Thomaskirche.<ref name="mot">Motette in der Thomaskirche. Sonnabend, den 20 September 2008. Leipzig: Merkur.</ref> He retained this post until his death in Leipzig, despite the offers successively made to him of mathematical professorships at Frankfurt and Wittenberg.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Calvisius was also a significant astronomer: 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).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} He composed choral pieces including ''Unser Leben währet siebzig Jahr''.<ref name="mot" />

== Works == * ''Harmonia cantionum ecclesiasticarum, Kirchengesänge u. geistliche Lieder D. Lutheri u. andrer frommen Christen, Mit 4 Stimmen contrapunktweise richtig gesetzt.'' Leipzig 1597, 1598, 1604, 1612 and 1622 * ''Melopoiia sive melodiae condendae ratio.'' Erfurt 1592 and 1630 * ''Compendium musicae practicae.'' Leipzig 1594, also published in 1612 as Musicae artis praecepta * ''Exercitatio musica tertia.'' Leipzig 1611 * ''Exercitationes musicae duae.'' Leipzig 1600 * ''Hymni sacri Latini et Germanici.'' Erfurt 1594 * ''Der Psalter Davids.'', Cornelius Becker (ed.), Leipzig 1605 * ''Der 150. Psalm Davids.'' Leipzig 1615 * ''Opus chronologicum ex autoritate s. scripturae ad motum luminarium coelestium contextum.'' Leipzig 1605 (first edition), Frankfurt 1685 (6th edition) * ''Elenchus calendarii Gregoriani.'' Leipzig 1613 * ''Formula calendarii novi.'' Leipzig 1613 * ''Thesaurus latini sermonis.'' Leipzig 1614 * ''Enchiridion lexici Latino-Germanici.'' Leipzig 1614 * ''Tricinia, Auserlesene deutsche Lieder.'', Paul Rubardt (ed.), 1949 * 10 Motetten, Albrecht Tunger (ed.), 1965. * [http://imslp.org/wiki/Biciniorum_(Calvisius,_Seth) Biciniorum libri duo, Leipzig 1612]

==Notes== {{reflist}}

== References == * {{EB1911|wstitle=Calvisius, Sethus|volume=5|page=78}} This work in turn cites: ** V. Schmuck, ''Leichenrede'' (1615) ** J. Bertuch, ''Chronicon Portense'' (1739) ** F. W. E. Rost, ''Oratio ad renovendam S. Calvisii memoriam'' (1805) ** J. G. Stallbaum, ''Nachrichten über die Cantoren an der Thomasschule'' (1842) ** {{Cite ADB|3|716|717|Calvisius, Sethus|Arrey von Dommer|ADB:Calvisius, Sethus}} ** Poggendorff, ''Biog.-Litterarisches Handwörterbuch''

== External links == {{commons category|Sethus Calvisius}} * {{ChoralWiki}} * {{IMSLP|id=Calvisius, Seth}} * {{MathGenealogy|id=127898}}

{{Thomaskantors}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calvisius, Sethus}} Category:1556 births Category:1615 deaths Category:Thomaskantors Category:17th-century German astronomers Category:17th-century German musicians Category:16th-century classical composers Category:16th-century German composers Category:17th-century German classical composers Category:16th-century German astronomers Category:German male classical composers Category:German Renaissance composers Category:German music theorists Category:Chronologists Category:University of Helmstedt alumni Category:Leipzig University alumni Category:People from Kyffhäuserkreis Category:16th-century German writers Category:16th-century German male writers Category:17th-century German writers Category:17th-century German male writers Category:17th-century German male musicians