Severus Gastorius

Severus Gastorius
University of Jena, where Gastorius studied
Born1646 (1646)
Oettern
Died1682
Jena
EducationUniversity of Jena
Occupations
Known for"Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan"

Severus Gastorius (1646-1682) was a cantor in Jena, Thuringia.[1]

The son of a Weimar school teacher, Severus was born with the family name Bauchspiess (later Latinised to Gastorius) in Oettern, near Weimar. In 1667, he started studying at the University of Jena. From 1670, he deputized for cantor Andreas Zöll in Jena and married his daughter the following year. Gastorius assumed Zöll's position after his death in 1677.[2][3] One of his friends, Samuel Rodigast, wrote the hymn "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" for Gastorius when he was sick (to cheer him up as Rodigast writes in his dedication). Even before he recovered, Gastorius set it to music based on a melody by Werner Fabricius. The cantor's students sang it every week at Gastorius' door, on his request, as well as when they returned home. The hymn became widely known in Germany.

Gastorius was buried on 8 May 1682 in Jena's Johanniskirche cemetery. Gastorius had requested that the hymn "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" be sung at his funeral.

Gastorius is also credited with composing music for the funeral motet Du aber gehe hin bis das Ende komme. It was sung at the funeral of the Jena professor of medicine Johann Arnold Friderici on 2 June 1672.[4]

  1. ^ "957". Evangelisches Gesangbuch - Ausgabe für dir nordelbische evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche (in German). Kiel: Lutherische Verlagsgesellschaft. 2007. ISBN 978-3-87503-099-0.
  2. ^ "Severus Gastorius (Composer)", Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  3. ^ Markus Rathey, "Severus Gastorius", in: Finscher, Ludwig (Hg.), Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, Bd. 7, Personalteil, 2. Aufl., Kassel 2002, p. 602 et seq.
  4. ^ Arne zur Nieden, "Severus Gastorius (1646–1682)", Forschungsstelle für Personalschriften, Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz. (in German) Retrieved 13 September 2012.