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He was a virtuoso organist and organ builder, a High
Renaissance/Baroque composer and musicologist born Michael Schultze in Creuzburg,
Germany, as the youngest in the family of a Lutheran pastor. The name Praetorius is the Latin
form of the name Schultze, which means "mayor" in German. He took divinity studied in the
cities of Zerbst, Torgau and at the University of Frankfurt an der Oder and
while in Frankfurt he was the organist at the Marienkirche. He moved from there to the court of
Duke Heinrich Julius of Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttal around 1595, where his
initial position of organist was promoted to Kapellmeister. When the Duke died he relocated to the
court of Elector Johann Georg of Saxony in Dresden, where he developed the
chorale concerto after having been exposed to Italian, particularly
Venetian, music. Much
influenced by other German composers such as Heinrich Schutz and Samuel
Scheidt he became an incredibly prolific composer and he as also known for
his arrangements of music such as his harmonisation of the popular hymn "Es
ist ein Ros entsprungen" (Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming). His many compositions include over 1,200
songs and choral arrangements published in his 9-volume Musae Sioniae,
numerous works for the Lutheran church and perhaps his best known Terpsichore
from 1612 which contains of 300 instrumental dances. As a writer on the subject of music
he published Syntagma Musicum in three volumes detailing musical
instruments, contemporary practices as well as listing over 40 volumes of
printed music. He died
possibly on his 50th birthday and much of his wealth was given to
organise a foundation for the poor.
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen/Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming recordings
Leroy Anderson
and His Orchestra
Decca B0003552-02 (CD: A Leroy Anderson Christmas)
Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Praetorius
- http://www.sfbach.org/repertoire/praetoriusm.html
- http://www.hoasm.org/IVG/PraetoriusM.html
- http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/p/r/praetorius_m.htm
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