Bartholomäus Gesius (also: ''Göß'', ''Gese'', – 1613) was a German theologian, church musician, composer and

hymn writer A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...

. He worked at

Schloss Muskau Schloss Muskau (Muskau palace) is a '' schloss'' in the Görlitz district in the state of Saxony, Germany. It is located in an extended park, the ''Muskau Park'', since July 2004 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building complex was develope ...

and in

Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...

and is known for choral

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and ...

in German and Latin and for the melody and first setting of the Easter

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

"Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn", which was used in several compositions including a cantata by

Dieterich Buxtehude Dieterich Buxtehude (; ; born Diderik Hansen Buxtehude; c. 1637 – 9 May 1707) was a Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period, whose works are typical of the North German organ school. As a composer who worked in various vocal a ...

and a chorale prelude by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

(BWV 630), concluding the Easter section of his ''

Orgelbüchlein The ''Orgelbüchlein'' (''Little Organ Book'') BWV 599−644 is a set of 46 chorale preludes for organ — one of them is given in two versions — by Johann Sebastian Bach. All but three were written between 1708 and 1717 when Bach served as org ...

''.

Life

Born in

Müncheberg Müncheberg is a small town in Märkisch-Oderland, Germany approximately halfway between Berlin and the border with Poland, within the historic region of Lubusz Land. Geography Prior to 2003 the area today covered by Müncheberg was organized as ...

, Gesius studied theology between 1578 and 1585 at the Alma Mater Viadrina in

. He worked from 1582 as Kantor (church musician) in Müncheberg and from 1587 as teacher and musician at

(now a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

). In 1588, he began to compose a Passion after the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

in German, a ''St John Passion'' for five-part chorus. In spring of 1593, Gesius became Kantor at the

Marienkirche, Frankfurt (Oder) The Marienkirche is a Protestant church in Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany. It was formerly the city's main parish church and was built over more than 250 years, during the Middle Ages. History To 1522 It was first built in 1253, just after the ...

and at the same time teacher at the Ratsschule, today the Karl-Liebknecht-Gymnasium. In 1613, he composed a six-part ''St Matthew Passion'' in Latin. He died the same year in Frankfurt (Oder) from the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

"Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn"

Gesius wrote the melody and first five-part setting for the Easter

"Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn" ("This Day in Triumph God the Son") on a text attributed to Kaspar Stolzhagen. The text of originally sixteen stanzas of six lines each repeats "Halleluja, Halleluja" as every third and sixth line. The melody is in 6/4 time and rises on every first mentioning of Halleluja. It was published in his ''Geistliche deutsche Lieder'' (Spiritual German songs) in 1601. It appeared in seventeen hymnals. In the current German Protestant hymnal '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'', it is number 109. Instrumental and vocal compositions have been based on the hymn, including a cantata by

, BuxWV 43, which sets the text of the first stanza, and a chorale prelude by

(BWV 630), concluding the Easter section of his ''

''.

Selected works

* ''Geistliche Deutsche Lieder. D. Mart. Lutheri: Und anderer frommen Christen: Welche durchs gantze Jahr in der Christlichen Kirchen zusingen gebreuchlich/ mit vier und fünff Stimmen …'' Frankfurt an der Oder: Hartman, 1601 * ''Enchiridium etlicher deutscher und lateinischer Gesänge''. Frankfurt an der Oder: Hartman, 1603 * ''Hymni Patrum Cum Canticis Sacris, Latinis Et Germanicis, De Praecipuis Festis Anniversariis: Quibus Additi Suntet Hymni Scholastici Ad Duodecim Modos Musicos in utroq ecantu, Regulari scilicet ac Transposito, singulis horis per totam septimanam decantandi, cum cantionibus Gregorianis …'' Frankfurt an der Oder: Hartman, 1609

Literature

* Paul Blumenthal: ''Der Kantor Bartholomäus Gesius zu Frankfurt-Oder'' Frankfurt/Oder: Vogel & Neuber 1926 (Frankfurt und die Ostmark; vol. 1) * Siegfried Gissel: ''Untersuchungen zur mehrstimmigen protestantischen Hymnenkomposition in Deutschland um 1600''. Kassel; Basel; London: Bärenreiter (University of Marburg dissertation) 1980 * * Friedrich Wilhelm Schönherr: ''Bartholomaeus Gesius (Munchbergensis ca. 1560–1613): Ein Beitrag zur Musikgeschichte der Stadt Frankfurt a/O. im 16. Jahrhundert''. Leipzig, Phil. Diss., 1920 *

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gesius, Bartholomaus 16th-century German composers 17th-century German composers Renaissance composers German Protestant hymnwriters 1560s births 1613 deaths Year of birth uncertain