Michael Praetorius (c. 1571 – 1621) was a German
composer, organist, and music theorist. He was one of
the most versatile composers of his age, being
particularly significant in the development of musical
forms based on Protestant hymns, many of which reflect
an effort to improve the relationship between
Protestants and Catholics.
He was born Michael Schultze, Schultheis, or Schultz,
the youngest son of a Lutheran pastor, in Creuzburg, in
present-day Thuringia. After attending school ...(+)
Michael Praetorius (c. 1571 – 1621) was a German
composer, organist, and music theorist. He was one of
the most versatile composers of his age, being
particularly significant in the development of musical
forms based on Protestant hymns, many of which reflect
an effort to improve the relationship between
Protestants and Catholics.
He was born Michael Schultze, Schultheis, or Schultz,
the youngest son of a Lutheran pastor, in Creuzburg, in
present-day Thuringia. After attending school in Torgau
and Zerbst, he studied divinity and philosophy at the
University of Frankfurt (Oder). He was fluent in a
number of languages. After receiving his musical
education, from 1587 he served as organist at the
Marienkirche in Frankfurt. From 1592/3 he served at the
court in Wolfenbüttel, under the employ of Henry
Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He served in the
duke's State Orchestra, first as organist and later
(from 1604) as Kapellmeister.
His first compositions appeared around 1602/3. Their
publication primarily reflects the care for music at
the court of Gröningen. The motets of this collection
were the first in Germany to make use of the new
Italian performance practices; as a result, they
established him as a proficient composer.
Praetorius was a prolific composer; his compositions
show the influence of Italian composers and his younger
contemporary Heinrich Schütz. His works include the
nine volume Musae Sioniae (1605–10), a collection of
more than twelve hundred (ca. 1244) chorale and song
arrangements; volume eleven of twenty is called
Missodia Sionia and contains sacred music in Latin for
church services for two to eight voices. He wrote many
other works for the Lutheran church; and Terpsichore, a
compendium of more than 300 instrumental dances, which
is both his most widely known work, and his sole
surviving secular work. Many of Praetorius' choral
compositions were scored for several mini-choirs
situated in several locations in the church for
multi-phonic effect. Praetorius composed the familiar
harmonization of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Lo, How a
Rose E'er Blooming) in 1609.
In his introduction to Terpsichore, Praetorius takes
credit for arranging the music rather than composing
the tunes. The collection is based on French dance
repertoire of the time, although some of the tunes have
been identified as coming from elsewhere in Europe, for
example England and Spain.
An illustration of several musical instruments from
Syntagma Musicum
The publication was rediscovered in the twentieth
century by the early music movement. Recordings include
a selection performed by the Early Music Consort (which
was released in 1973), and others from the New London
Consort etc.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Praetorius).
Although originally composed for unspecified period
instruments, I created this interpretation of 2
Courante from "Terpsichore" for Woodwind Quartet
(Flute, Oboe, English Horn & Bassoon).
PARTITION