Michael Praetorius

Michael Praetorius had not been only one of the very most versatile and prolific German composers of the first seventeenth hundred years (only the remarkable, slightly younger Heinrich Schütz is of comparable importance) but also the writer of Syntagma musicum, a historically significant theoretical treatise on music. The precise calendar year of Praetorius’ delivery continues to be unknown; Feb 15, 1571, may be the generally approved date, selected based on two contemporary resources which declare that Praetorius passed away on his 50th birthday. After schooling in the College or university of Frankfurt an der Oder with the Lateinschule at Zerbst, Anhalt, during his teenagers, Praetorius was appointed organist of St. Marien Chapel in Frankfurt in 1587. Praetorius later on had written that he remaining the positioning after 3 years, and, although it continues to be unclear what his actions through the early 1590s may have been, by 1595 he reappears in the historic record as organist for Duke Heinrich Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. After 1604, Praetorius mixed his responsibilities as organist using the even more demanding placement of kapellmeister in the courtroom, often traveling using the duke and his courtroom musicians. The next several years had been a very effective time where a lot of the composer’s released choices of music made an appearance. After Duke Heinrich Julius’ loss of life in 1613 Praetorius, though officially still mounted on the brand new Duke at Wolfenbüttel, was asked to serve for just two years on the courtroom of Elector John Georg of Saxony, and he preserved a close romantic relationship using the Saxony courtroom even following the session ended. Certainly, from 1615 on, Praetorius spent additional time from Wolfenbüttel than he do participating in to his responsibilities as kapellmeister, and by 1620 Praetorius’ regular absence and illness acquired caused so extreme a drop in the grade of music at Wolfenbüttel that he was dismissed from the positioning. He passed away just one calendar year later, departing his sizeable lot of money to charity. Praetorius’ dad and grandfather had been both Lutheran theologians, as well as the composer inherited their deep spiritual sentiment, composing over 1,000 sacred compositions predicated on Protestant hymns as well as the Latin liturgy found in the Lutheran provider. By comparison, only 1 small assortment of secular compositions — several instrumental dances — survives. While such early functions as Megalynodia Sionia, a assortment of parody madrigals predicated on the music of Orlando di Lassus, amongst others, fail to screen a real personality of musical design. By enough time from the Polyhymnia caduceatrix of 1619, Praetorius acquired embraced an amazingly forward-looking musical visual where the extremely ornamented Italian vocal design of the days, and a thick scoring employing as much as 16 voices are expressive options at his removal. Praetorius’ Syntagma musicum, while under no circumstances completed (the ultimate section, designed to offer instruction in real composition, continues to be missing), is among the most important organized compilations of early seventeenth hundred years musical thinking.