History
When considering who the greatest Lutheran musicians of all time have been, you might think about J.S. Bach, the “Great Lutheran Hymnwriters” (Ss. Nicolai, Heerman, and Gerhardt), or even St. Walter. However, Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) surely should make the list due to his prolific German hymn writing. Many have even said that he is the best composer of Church music after Bach. The son of a Lutheran pastor, Praetorius is well known for his many musical contributions to the Lutheran faith.
His Christmas Mass is most famous. His setting of “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” can be found in the Lutheran Service Book (LSB 359). His Syntagma Musicum, a three volume encyclopedia on contemporary music theory and manual for instrumentation is still consulted by organ builders today. And his Musae Sioniae includes over 1200 liturgical compositions, demonstrating his prolific legacy.
Praetorius’s Jubilate
While you sadly won’t find Praetorius as part of any Lutheran sanctoral calendar, his great influence on the shape of Lutheran culture can still be helpful to our modern-day commemorations.
One of the times where his works might be incorporated into a Lutheran celebration of the Church Year fits well with Jubilate Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter and the Sunday of “Joy.”
While there are many Jubilate compositions out there, with some of the most famous coming from Mozart (Exsultate Jubilate, Allelujah!), Gabriele (Jubilate Deo), and even Britten (Jubilate Deo), Praetorius’s is also highly regarded. The original tune can be heard here, sung by a children’s choir at a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod school in Dallas, TX.
This simple melody is usually sung in a two-part or three-part round, with each part starting one measure after the beginning of the previous one, continuing on in an endless loop, as desired. This is the perfect melody to teach those in your household to sing together and to even use before or after meals in addition to your table prayer! Here is the melody written out, if you’re interested in reading it for yourselves.
In addition to this, there have been many other compositions created based on this tune and performances of not just this melody but Praetorius’s other “Jubilate” compositions. This recording of Prateorius’s Jubilate Deo a 7, sung by a choir under John Wiens in a concert performed at St. Matthias Church in Montreal, is especially lovely and perfect listening for your Jubilate Sunday!
We encourage you to either sit down with a cup of tea in the light of a sunny window and in earshot of chirping birds to listen to this most-appropriate Lutheran work or dedicate to learning his simple Jubilate melody above to celebrate the fourth Sunday of Easter. And, we wish you the most blessed Easter season and hope that you will enjoy adding Praetorius and his many wonderful compositions to your collection of Lutheran music!
