Michael Praetorius Biography

Michael Praetorius was born on February 15, 1571, at Kreuzberg in Thuringia. He was a German composer, a theorist, and an organist. “He was the most versatile and wide ranging German composer of his generation and one of the most prolific, especially of works based on Protestant hymns.” Syntagma musicum is one of the main reasons why Praetorius is important as a theorist. His father was a “zealous Lutheran clergyman,” and also had the name of Michael. The Michael Praetorius, his father, came from Bunzlau, Silesia, and was a colleague of Johann Walter. During the Protestant infighting that happened after the Augsburg Interim; he became strict Lutheran. Which is why he lost his position more than once, causing them to move. During his father’s …show more content…
He said to of visited leipzig, Nuremberg, and Bayreuth with the two of them in 1619 as well. Because he was away so much there was a decline and Wolfenbüttel Hofkapelle, however when eventually did return, but it still continued to suffer because of his bad health. However since he was still appointed “prior of the monastery at Ringelheim, near Goslar,” in 1614, and no doubt he continued to draw income from his position. It is amazing how even though he was sick, Praetorius still managed to compose so many works. In fact it is said that they “number in the thousands, with secular as well as sacred works of all kinds.” On his fiftieth birthday, February 15 , 1621, Praetorius passed away. He was at the height of his career. He died a with a favorable amount of fortune, which was actually donated. The donation helped to set up a foundation for the poor. Praetorius was a Christian all his life, and he is often to be known to say that “he ‘often regretted that he never took holy orders.’” Praetorius’s may be mainly known for his work Syntagma Musicum, however “his musical works are exceedingly