Jacob Praetorius, son of Hieronymus Praetorius and organist of the Petrikirche in Hamburg from 1603–51, is known chiefly as a composer of organ music. This edition of his motets is based on early prints and recovered transcriptions made by Robert Eitner and Gustav Fock. These ten motets for five to eight voices show his contrapuntal skill and use of expressive devices adopted from the Italian madrigal. Most of the pieces were composed between 1606 and 1635 for the marriages of prominent Hamburg citizens and set well-known Latin texts from the Song of Songs. In keeping with original performance conditions, the motets may be sung unaccompanied by small vocal ensembles or performed with string instruments, cornetti, sackbuts, dulcians, and organ or plucked-string continuo instruments.

Contents

Quam pulchra es

Gaudete omnes

Veni in hortum meum

Surge propera (1607)

Surge propera (1611)

Vidi speciosam

Sponse musarum

Forti animo esto

Quis novus hic oritur

Indica mihi

Reviews

Lawrence Schenbeck, Choral Journal, December 1999