Advertisement

Advertisement

Praetorius

[ pree-tawr-ee-uhs, ‑-tohr ]

noun

  1. Michael Michael Schultheiss, 1571–1621, German composer, organist, and theorist.


Praetorius

/ prɛˈtoːriʊs /

noun

  1. PraetoriusMichael15711621MGermanMUSIC: composerMUSIC: musicologist Michael (ˈmɪçaeːl). 1571–1621, German composer and musicologist, noted esp for his description of contemporary musical practices and instruments, Syntagma musicum (1615–19)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Example Sentences

But in 1609, Praetorius wrote a tender, four-part setting that plumbed the melody for all its harmonic possibilities, and became the equivalent in its day of a hit tune.

The program — while Jolle Greenleaf is Tenet’s artistic director, this one was led by Jeffrey Grossman, who played organ — honored the fact that this year marks both the 400th anniversary of Praetorius’s death and the 450th anniversary of his birth.

In this regard Praetorius was indebted to a younger German contemporary, Heinrich Schütz, whom he got to know when they both worked in Dresden.

Praetorius was a leading figure of the German Lutheran chorale tradition — the practice of using hymn tunes as components of pieces that often unfold with striking complexity, as in the wondrous “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland,” which Tenet performed compellingly.

The revelation, for me, was a performance of the lengthy “Vater unser im Himmelreich,” from Praetorius’s 1619 collection “Polyhymnia Caduceatrix” — magnificent music, laid out in multiple sections, with sublime stretches of overlapping counterpoint and plush harmonies that cadence into radiant consonance.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


praetoriumpraetorship