PRAETORIUS, Michael

Born in Creuzburg an der Werra, nr Eisenach, c. Feb 15, 1571
Died in Wolfenbüttel, Feb 15, 1621

• Praetorius was an organist and a music theorist in addition to a composer. He wrote Syntagma musicum, an encyclopedic three-volume work exploring the music of his time (very valuable for historians and students of early performance practice).
  • The three volumes cover:
    1. History and principles of sacred music
    2. An overview of the musical instruments of Praetorius’ time, especially the organ
    3. A dictionary of musical forms with instruction on compositional techniques.
• Praetorius held many significant church and court appointments during his life, and was considered one of the region’s prominent organists.¹
• Praetorius left behind a considerable fortune at his death, and he endowed most of it to create a foundation for the poor.
• Greatest Hit: Praetorius composed the harmonization of Lo, How a Rose E’er-Blooming that appears frequently in carol collections and hymnals.²

Biography

1. Walter Blankenburg and Clytus Gottwald, “Praetorius [Schultheiss, Schultze], Michael,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed December 19, 2019,  https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000022253.
2. Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott, eds., The Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993), 100.