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O Lux beata Trinitas, by Michael Praetorius (1571-1621), performed by Stephen Malinowski.
Michael Praetorius (probably February 15, 1571 – February 15, 1621) was a German composer, organist, and music theorist.[1] He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms based on Protestant hymns, many of which reflect an effort to improve the relationship between Protestants and Catholics.
He was born Michael Schultze, the youngest son of a Lutheran pastor, in Creuzburg, in present-day Thuringia. After attending school in Torgau and Zerbst, he studied divinity and philosophy at the University of Frankfurt (Oder). After receiving his musical education, from 1587 he served as organist at the Marienkirche in Frankfurt. From 1592/3 he served at the court in Wolfenbüttel, under the employ of Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He served in the duke’s State Orchestra, first as organist and later (from 1604) as Kapellmeister.
His first compositions appeared around 1602/3. Praetorius had begun writing some of them when Regensburg was the parliamentary seat of the Holy Roman Empire. Their publication primarily reflects the care for music at the court of Gröningen. The motets of this collection were the first in Germany to make use of the new Italian performance practices; as a result, they established him as a proficient composer.
These “modern” pieces mark the end of his middle creative period. The nine parts of his Musae Sioniae (1605–10) and the 1611 published collections of liturgical music (masses, hymns, magnificats) follow the German Protestant chorale style. With these, at the behest of a circle of orthodox Lutherans, he followed the Duchess Elizabeth, who ruled the duchy in the duke’s absence. In place of popular music, one now expected religious music from Praetorius.
When the duke died in 1613 and was succeeded by Frederick Ulrich, Praetorius retained his employment. From 1613 he also worked at the court of John George I, Elector of Saxony at Dresden, where he was responsible for festive music. He was exposed to the latest Italian music, including the polychoral works of the Venetian School. His subsequent development of the form of the chorale concerto, particularly the polychoral variety, resulted directly from his familiarity with the music of such Venetians as Giovanni Gabrieli. The solo-voice, polychoral, and instrumental compositions Praetorius prepared for these events mark the high period of his artistic creativity. Until his death, Praetorius stayed at the court in Dresden, where he was declared Kapellmeister von Haus aus and worked with Heinrich Schütz.
Michael Praetorius died on his 50th birthday, in Wolfenbüttel, Germany and is entombed in a vault beneath the organ of St. Mary’s Church there.
Music and music history? Could things get any more “awesomer” here on the Friday Interlude? :)
We often host Mr.Malinowski’s work here on the Friday Musical Interlude. The musical animation he produces has been his life’s work and has brought it to the next level as he brings his digital animations to live performances. Note in this video that he is using an analog device to what I assume to be keeping the video synchronized with the performances.
“The subtleties and intricate patterns at the core of DNA of western classical music—which have enchanted and fascinated people for centuries—still challenge us today: how do we find our way into a musical language developed long ago and containing considerable structural complexities?
Musician and inventor Stephen Malinowski uses a simple visual approach to stimulate our ability to build expectations and thereby enhance our engagement with the music.
In this TEDx performance, Malinowski uses a newly-developed version of his Music Animation Machine software which allows him to synchronize his graphical score in a live performance. Violinist Etienne Abelin who collaborated on the development of this technology and pianist Dorothy Yeung play music of Johann Sebastian Bach.“
A bit of a different tack today on the Sunday Disservice, but I think you’ll like what you see. One of the selling points of religious belief is the “spiritual-transcendental” angle; being a part of something that is bigger than you and yet speaks to you in a very special way in your heart. The deluded would like you to believe that they have cornered the market on this experience. As usual, the reality-challenged have it wrong.
Benjamin Zander, explores the idea that classical music has this very same quality, to bring us the big picture experience that is in tune with our hearts, but instead of using magic and the Oooga-booga, he uses Chopin.
The TED talk that Zander hosts has nothing to do with the anti-religious preamble I’ve raised, but I’m thinking that Chopin and other classical music, is a great short cut for experiencing an important part of spiritual life without all the frippery associated with dedicated religious belief.
This is the first of the hand-crossing, two-part variations. It is in 3/4 time. A rapid melodic line written predominantly in sixteenth notes is accompanied by another melody with longer note values, which features very wide leaps:
I’m so happy with the Piano Guys. They are making music “cool” and fun to do, I’m sure they inspiring many to relight their musical passions and get back to the instrument to continue work on the 10,000 hours required to achieve mastery. ;)
Notes Video:
We composed this arrangement with the story of the video in mind — a tense beginning building up the intrigue, a back-and-forth theme traded between violin and cello implying the partner-agent roles, lasers, the “reveal” moment of Jon, rappelling, and the hectic, scrambled ending. We wanted a little more thematic material to work with, so in addition to some original material, we merged Mission: Impossible with the first movement of Mozart’s “Piano Sonata in C” (here’s a recording of the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcUh-ggBfzI). But, of course, we sped it up, transposed it into A minor and changed the time signature to 5/4! It became Jon’s “villain theme.” And yes, Jon is really playing THAT fast. At the end in order to create a musical feeling of “pandemonium” we wrote the piano part, reversed it and randomized the notes, tweaking them until they clicked. And for you rhythm enthusiasts, at times you’ll hear a 4/4 time signature in the percussion imposed on the 5/4 timing to add to the intrigue and mayhem!
Oh, those Piano Guys have been busy. Enjoy!
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
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