Thomas Elsbeth

Thomas Elsbeth (* around 1555 in Neustadt near Coburg ; † between 1624 and 1630) was a German composer, author of motets and Protestant hymns.

Thomas Elsbeth worked in Frankfurt an der Oder , where his first works were published. He probably knew the Frankfurt cantor and composer Bartholomäus Gesius . Later he was also in Breslau , since 1606 in Liegnitz and since 1616 in Jauer .

Thomas Elsbeth created around 150 motets and 100 songs for the Latin and German texts. His works show no influences from the Italian style and basso continuo .

He composed his motets and songs in both homophony and polyphony . The songs are designed in the form of the evangelical chant, often 3 to 5 voices, the motets are intended for up to 6 or 8 voices.

Works

• New exceptional German and Latin songs (Frankfurt an der Oder, 1599, 26 works, 3 voices)
• New spiritual songs moving towards Christian devotion (Frankfurt an der Oder, 1599, 36 works, 5 parts)
• New exquisite secular songs (Frankfurt an der Oder, 1599, 26 works, 5 voices)
• Selectissimae & novae cantiones sacrae (Frankfurt an der Oder, 1600, 26 works, 6 parts)
• Third part of new exquisite sacred and secular songs (Coburg, 1602, 20 works, 3 parts)
• Selectissimae & novae cantiones sacrae (Liegnitz, 1606, 20 works, 4 voices)
• New exceptional songs (Liegnitz, 1607, 20 works, 5 voices)
• Selectissimae & novae cantiones sacrae (Liegnitz, 1608, 8 works, 6 and 8 parts)
• Selectissimae & novae cantiones sacrae (Liegnitz, 1610, 12 works, 5 voices)
• Festorum paschalis et pentecostes officium ... introitus, missae, sequentiae (Liegnitz, 1615, 5 voices)
• Wedding song (Erfurt, 1615, 5 voices)
• The 150th Psalm of David (Liegnitz, 1616, 7 votes)
• First part of Sunday Gospels ... from Advent to Cantata (Liegnitz, 1616, 30 works, 5 parts)
• Other part of the Sunday Gospels ... from Cantata to Advent (Liegnitz, 1621, 30 works, 5 parts)
• A beautiful saying from the Song of Songs (Liegnitz, 1621, 6 votes)
• Several consoling texts ad Psalms and Jesus Sirach (Breslau, 1623, 8 votes)
• Melpomene sacra… that is exquisite spiritual chants for all noble festivals throughout the year (Breslau, 1624, 16 works, 6 parts)
• From God I was honored, wedding motets (Freiburg, 1624, 5 votes)
• The 128th Psalm of David (Liegnitz, undated, 6 votes)
• 1 fair
• 12 motets, 4, 5, and 6 parts
• 6 hymns, 5 voices
• 6 secular songs, 5 voices

literature

• Rainer Birkendorf:  Elsbeth, Thomas. In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): The music in past and present . Second edition, personal section, volume 4 (Camarella - Couture). Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 2000, ISBN 3-7618-1114-4  ( online edition , subscription required for full access)
• Arrey von Dommer:  Elsbeth, Thomas . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, p. 62.
• Hella Gensbaur:  Elsbeth, Thomas. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1959, ISBN 3-428-00185-0 , p. 463 ( digitized version ).

Web links

• Literature by and about Thomas Elsbeth in the catalog of the German National Library
• Thomas Elsbeth in the Bavarian Musicians' Lexicon Online (BMLO)
• Sheet music in the public domain by Thomas Elsbeth in the Choral Public Domain Library - ChoralWiki (English)
• Fritz Feldmann, Dale Allen Scott:  Elsbeth, Thomas. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).