Jacob Praetorius or Schultz (8 February 158621 or 22 October 1651) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

composer and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, and the son of

Hieronymus Praetorius Hieronymus Praetorius (10 August 1560 – 27 January 1629) was a Northern Germany, German composer and organ (music), organist of the late Renaissance music, Renaissance and early Baroque music, Baroque whose Venetian polychoral style, polycho ...

. His grandfather, the father of Hieronymus, Jacob Praetorius the Elder (died 1586), and his brother

Johann Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Graciou ...

were also composers. As a student of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, he was one of the most important organists and most respected pedagogues of the north German tradition before

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

. From 1603 on he was organist at the Petrikirche in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. His most important pupil,

Matthias Weckmann Matthias Weckmann (''Weckman'') (''c''.1616 24 February 1674) was a German musician and composer of the Baroque period. He was born in Niederdorla (Thuringia) and died in Hamburg. Life His musical training took place in Dresden (as a chorister ...

, studied with him from 1633 to 1636 and later joined him in Hamburg as organist at the Jakobikirche. His compositional style includes both traditional and progressive elements. His three surviving preludes show the kind of sectionalism and diversity of styles that would become one of the defining characteristics of the genre. That is to say, they contain a free, rhapsodic (though restrained) opening section that foreshadows the '' stylus phantasticus'' style of German composers later in the century (notably

Dieterich Buxtehude Dieterich Buxtehude (; born Diderich Hansen Buxtehude, ; – 9 May 1707) was a Danish composer and organist of the Baroque music, Baroque period, whose works are typical of the North German organ school. As a composer who worked in various vocal ...

), followed by an imitative, fugal section that strictly adheres to traditional

contrapuntal In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...

rules.

Notes

His family is ''not'' related to notable contemporary

Michael Praetorius Michael Praetorius (probably 28 September 1571 – 15 February 1621) was a German composer, organist, and Music theory, music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of ...

. (See

Praetorius Praetorius, Prätorius, Prætorius was the name of several musicians and scholars in Germany. In 16th and 17th century Germany it became a fashion for educated people named "Schulze," "Schultheiß," or "Richter (disambiguation), Richter" (which mea ...

for other members of the family.)

Works, editions and recordings

*The motets of Jacob Praetorius II ed. Frederick Kent Gable - 1994 *Jacob Praetorius: Motets & Organ Works, CD Weser-Renaissance, dir. Manfred Cordes CPO

External links

* 1586 births 1651 deaths German Baroque composers German classical organists Organists and composers in the North German tradition Musicians from Hamburg 17th-century German classical composers German male classical composers 17th-century German male musicians German male classical organists {{organist-stub