Michael Praetorius: Expansion of Baroque / the (Lutheran) Christmas Carol / Dance

Michael Praetorius

Source: ClassicalNet

Born on 28 September 1571 in Creuzburg, Germany, Michael Praetorius was Michael Schultze, Schultheis or Schults of which Praetorius is a Latinization, Schulzte being "mayor" in German. The musical Renaissance into the wane of which Praetorius was born had been a considerably Catholic or secular affair relatively more so in greater Europe than Germany. Praetorius had been born half a century or so into the Protestant Reformation (Luther 1517) and was himself Lutheran. France, Italy, the Holy Roman Empire, Venice and Spain were Catholic forces, France, however, no friend to the Roman Church which made it no friend to the rest of Europe. Protestant England across the Channel experienced some degree of isolation from the continent during the Reformation. Though the Strait of Dover (English Channel) served as a natural moat making England inaccessible by anything but boat, it is only about 21 miles across and could be sailed on a good day in three or so hours. Even as this was sufficient to make England an oddball relative to the continent, the gap between Dover and Calais in France was too short a distance to much discourage either commerce or assault. True to form, it was an oddball and proved it by becoming Protestant in rejection of the Roman Church in 1534, making Henry VIII head of the Church of England. The Reformation in France was led by John Calvin upon his 1536 publication of 'Institutes of the Christian Religion'.

Praetorius studied divinity, languages, music and philosophy at the University of Frankfurt beginning in 1582 at age eleven. Music likely included composing. He also spent a period at the Lateinschule at Zerbst / Anhalt before graduating from Frankfurt in 1587, upon which he became organist at the Marienkirche the same year. From thereon and throughout his twenties Praetorius led an itinerant life as an organ specialist, both performing as well as consulting (repair and such). He worked for numerous churches and aristocrats during the last 13 years of the 16th century, among them Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, possibly as early as 1592 (1595 per Zachary Alley). His journeys from place to place had also made him a well-known composer by the turn of the century.

In 1602 Praetorius composed a collection of fourteen Magnificat settings while in Regensburg that saw later publishing in 1611 in a volume called 'Megalynodia Sionia'. He was made Kapellmeister to Henry Julius (above) in 1604. Praetorius published his first book, 'Musae Sioniae, Theil 1', in 1605 consisting of 21 motets for double choir. Eight more volumes of 'Musae Sioniae' would appear to as late as 'Theil 9' in 1610. 'Musarum Sioniarum: motectae et psalmi latini' appeared in their midst in 1607. This is thought to contain the first sacred motets, 52 of them for four to sixteen voices, written in style baroque. The Michaelmas below is a Benedicite used in Anglican, Lutheran and Catholic worship (Liturgy of the Hours). The Michaelmas is the main feast of St. Michael the Archangel. The Benedicite is a canticle (text from the Bible) also called 'Benedicite, omnia opera Domini' or 'A Song of Creation'. It uses for its text 'The Song of the Three Holy Children', Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, said to have survived a furnace of fire in the book of 'Daniel'.

'Canticum Trium Puerorum'   Michaelmas composed for 8 voices   Michael Praetorius

'Song of Three Holy Children' from the book of 'Daniel'

No.34 of 'Musarum Sioniarum' pub 1607

Ensemble de cuivres de la Musique des Gardiens de La Paix / Philippe Caillard

Among Praetorius' more famous pieces is 'Es ist ein Ros entsprungen' set to music in 1609. This is an anonymous hymn that first appeared in the 'Speyer Psalter'of 1599. Known in English as 'Lo, how a rose e'er blooming', "Ros" (Rose) symbolizing the Virgin Mary. The importance of Mary in the liturgical music of the Catholic Church had been emphatic for centuries. The Protestant Church was yet well short of a century old, Praetorius a Lutheran. That 'Es ist ein Ros entsprungen' is a Marian hymn didn't prevent it from being a Lutheran Christmas carol as well. That Praetorius wrote numerous works for Christmas season makes a happy occasion for a brief excursion into the Christmas carol:

The Christmas carol is, of course, a huge domain in the music of Western civilization. "Carol" is Anglo-French for "choraule" (choral song) in Latin. Though modern Christmas carols include not a few of the secular variety that are famous such as Irving Berlin's 'White Christmas' of 1942, the most throughout the centuries were in praise, of course, of Christ. One carol, 'Angel’s Hymn', is traced back to 129 AD when Roman Bishop, Telesphous, ordained the song to be sung at midnight on Christmas Eve [Christian Christmas Songs]. Its chorus, "Gloria in Excelsis Deo!," is thought to have passed its way through the centuries to be combined with verses from the French carol of unknown origin, 'Les Anges dans Nos Campagnes', to finally arrive in 1862 as 'Angels We Have Heard on High' with lyrics translated by John Chadwick sung to the tune of 'Gloria in Excelsis Deo!' (not Bach's later cantata). Christmas and its observance with carols would be outlawed for a time in the 17th century both in Cromwell's England from 1644/47 to 1660 and in American New England from 1659 to 1681. Other than that Christmas carols too resembled their practice by the Roman Church, another reason for the ban was that the date of December 25 had been that of the pagan holiday, Saturnalia, not the actual birthdate of Jesus. There was also issue with people taking the day off from work.

Such the attempts to purge Protestant culture of the Christmas carol were hardly successful, though similar to the conservative purging which resulted in baroque in Praetorius' lifetime and to which he contributed polyphonically, a step branching off baroque's original Italian monodies that had been a cleansing of now old-fashioned approaches to polyphony used only in conservative sacred music. Forces behind baroque in sacred music were rigid standards in polyphony behooving piety, clarity and simplicity the ideal with everything extraneous to proper attitude removed. Some of the driest polyphonic music was composed at Praetorius' time as Catholics and Protestants engaged nigh in competition, as it were, to produce the least violating of the holy in sacred music. Baroque, though, was conceived in a conservative secular domain, born of an Hellenistic return to conservative monody with a second part for basso continuo now receiving notation in scores on a regular basis, making it a trademark of baroque. The wane of the late Renaissance, of which the completion of the dome at St. Peter's in Rome in 1590 marks its culmination, arrived as argument in music theory in the latter decades of the 16th century surrounded the best means of achieving the best counterpoint. Baroque simplified counterpoint to no more than voice with figured bass (continuo), a remove from the distractions of old-fashioned polyphony. Monody was bare bones but seemed to offer more as a foundation with forward momentum than all the drama with polyphony too emphasizing composition itself with interrelated multiple parts at cost of the song itself. As mentioned above, Praetorius introduced the baroque style to sacred Lutheran music.

'Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen'   Hymn composed for 4 voices or otherwise   Michael Praetorius

'Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming'

No.53 of 'Musae Sioniae, sechster Theil' (Theil 6) pub 1609

Chanticleer

'Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen'   Hymn composed for 4 voices or otherwise   Michael Praetorius

'Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming'

No.53 of 'Musae Sioniae, sechster Theil' (Theil 6) pub 1609

Frederica von Stade w the American Boy Choir

In addition to the liturgical 'Megalynodia Sionia' in 1611 Praetorius published 'Missodia Sionia', 'Hymnodia Sionia' and 'Eulogodia Sionia' all the same year. In 1612 he published 'Terpsichore', a collection of 312 dances for four to six instruments consisting of bransle, courantes, voltes, ballets and gaillarde. Included among them is the Canary dance indigenous to the Canary Islands (perhaps 650 miles south of Spain off Africa) afore its popularity throughout Europe. In a nod to the Hellenism of the times 'Terpsichore' was named after the Greek muse of chorus and dancing, Terpsichore. It isn't known if he composed any of what the lot are probably arrangements of tunes already existing.

'La Bransle'   Dance   Michael Praetorius

No.16 of 'Terpsichore, Musarum Aoniarum' pub 1612

Mary Vanhoozer-Rodriguez

'La Canary'   Dance   Michael Praetorius

No.31 of 'Terpsichore, Musarum Aoniarum' pub 1612

Eduardo Antonello

'La Bourrée'   Dance   Michael Praetorius

No.32 of 'Terpsichore, Musarum Aoniarum' pub 1612

Crumhorn / rackett: David Munrow

24 Dances from 'Terspsichore' by Michael Praetorius

Sundry of 'Terpsichore, Musarum Aoniarum' pub 1612

New London Consort

Upon the death of Henry Julius in 1613 Praetorius remained with his successor, Frederick Ulrich. He was also employed by John George I, Elector of Saxony, in 1613. From 1615 to 1620 Pratorius published three volumes of his largely prose 'Syntagma musicum'. Volume I is 'Musicae Artis Analecta' written in Latin in two parts, the first addressing ecclesiastical music and the use of organ in Lutheran liturgy, the second discussing secular music. Volume II is 'De Organographia', a prose work addressing the organ in general including technical aspects of organ (re)construction and its history. Volume III is 'Termini musicali' which is a glossary and analysis of various major aspects in music like notation, mode and, especially apt to baroque, figured bass (continuo) with organ.

Long since familiar with the Venetian School (: double choir), while with John George I of Saxony, Praetorius' continued study of the Venetian School which led to his accredited creation of the chorale concerto that would lead to the later chorale cantatas of JS Bach. (This chorale concerto of voice and instruments is distinct from the Russian chorale concerto.) Praetorius published his collection of forty baroque chorale concerti in 'Polyhymnia Caduceatrix & Panegyrica' ('Hymns of Peace and Praise') in 1619, considered by some his crowning work. Other important composers of the chorale concerto were Praetorius' close contemporaries, Samuel Scheidt and Johann Hermann Schein.

'In dulci jubilo'   Chorale concerto   Michael Praetorius

'In sweet rejoicing'

No.34 of 'Polyhymnia caduceatrix et panegyric' pub 1619

Gabrieli Consort & Players / Paul McCreesh

'Hallelujah: Christ ist erstanden'   Chorale concerto   Michael Praetorius

'Hallelujah: Christ is risen'

No.35 of 'Polyhymnia caduceatrix et panegyric' pub 1619

La Capella Ducale / Roland Wilson

Praetorius' published 'Puericinium' in 1621, a collection of 14 motet settings for multiple choirs, one for boys, hence "Pueri" which translates to "children". That may have been published before his death on his fiftieth birthday on 15 Feb of 1621.

Praetorius had been a highly prolific composer, completing no less then twelve hundred chorale and song arrangements, his 312 instrumental dances in 'Terpischore' and numerous other works for the Lutheran church. Along the way he was a major figure in the introduction to Protestant Germany of the "new music" (to speak of Caccini) which was baroque that had emerged in Italy.

Further Reading:

Praetorius:

Linda Crampton (10 Pieces by Michael Praetorius)

Werner Icking Music Archive

Protestantism (early major forms):

Anglicanism of the Church of England formed by Henry VIII 1534

Calvinism of the Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin in France 1536

Lutheranism of the Ninety-five Theses by Martin Luther in Germany 1517

Bibliography:

George Buelow (A History of Baroque Music / Indiana University Press / 2004)

Fenlon / Wistreich (The Cambridge History of Sixteenth-Century Music / 2018)

Jeffery T. Kite-Powell (Syntagma Musicum III / Oxford University Press / 2004)

Stephen Rose (Musical Authorship from Schütz to Bach / Cambridge University Press / 2019)

Cynthia Cole Russell (The pueri in the "Puericinium" / The University of Memphis / 2005)

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