Michael Praetorius

Born: ca. 1571, in Creuzburg an der Werra, Germany Died: February 15, 1621, in Wolfenbüttel, Germany

Studied: at the University of Frankfurt an der Oder, the Lateinschule at Zerbst, and with Giovanni Gabrieli

Assignments: 1587: organist at St. Marien Church, Frankfurt; 1595: organist then Kapellmeister for Duke Heinrich Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Best known for: a deep religious faith which is evident in his more than 1,000 sacred works for Lutheran liturgies. Praetorius also owned a rather avant-garde compositional outlook often employing dense scoring for as many as sixteen distinct voices as well as a highly ornamented Italian vocal style. Though unfinished, his Syntagma musicum still remains a significant early primer on music theory and composition.

Curious fact: “Praetorius” is a Latin translation of the German surname Schultheiß, which means “bailiff.”

Notable compositions: Es ist ein’ Ros’ entsprungen, 1600 Terpsichore Dances, 1612 In dulci jubilo (from the Polyhymnia caduceatrix), 1619