Johann Praetorius

Johann Praetorius (1595-1660) was an organist and composer.

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No organ compositions by Johann Praetorius survive. However, he has been at the center of a decades-long controversy surrounding the attribution of some pieces (some anonymous, some with initials such as J. P.), mainly by Klaus Beckmann.

Life

Johann Praetorius was born on November 25, 1595, the son of Hieronymus and Anna Praetorius. He initially studied with his father, and he became so talented that he studied with [Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck]] starting in 1608 or 1609.

He returned to Hamburg in 1612 and became the organist at St. Nikolai, a position he held until his death on July 25, 1660.

Compositions

Johann Praetorius is known to have composed and published several wedding cantatas from 1615-1635.

No organ music securely attributed to him has survived.

Attributions

Starting around 1990, a few pieces from the North-German Organ School have become associated with the Hamburg organist. This resulted in a debate between Klaus Beckmann and other related musicologists, and the pieces were mainly either anonymous or attributed to Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck found in D-B Ms. Lynar A 1, B 2, and other similar manuscripts.

Pieter Dirksen

On the topic of D-B Ms. Lynar A 1, Dirksen and Herald Vogel wrote in the introduction of the Breitkopf & Härtel edition of the complete keyboard works by Sweelinck:

On the other hand, it is also impossible to ascribe to another composer works from Sweelinck's substantiated output through a listing of correspondences with compositions from the Sweelinck School. Klaus Beckmann undertook this endeavor, and in two editions he attributed well-known Sweelinck works to the Hamburg organist Johann (Johannes) Praetorius, who had studied in Amsterdam, just as his brother Jacob Praetorius. Unfortunately, he misjuddged the provenance of the main source LyA1, which invalidates one of the major grounds for his argumentation. This source has no transmission link to Hamburg.

They continued: "Without sufficient research into their respective provenance, the various forms of the name in the sources do not justify changing the attribution from the teacher to a pupil who has yet to emerge with an independent profile."

Works

In 2004, Klaus Beckmann published the 7th volume of the Meister der Norddeutschen Orgelschule series, of the organ works attributed to Johann Praetorius, containing the following works.

Works attributed to Johann Praetorius

Source	Title	Incipit	Notes	Ref.
Zellerfeld Organ Tablatures I p.133-138	Allein zu / dir Herr / Jesu Christ / Johan. P. / Manual:
D-B Ms. Lynar A 1 p.201-204 I-Tn Collezione Foa, Ms. 8 f.133v-137r A-Wm Ms. VIX/714 f.223v-224r	[A 1:] Christe quj lux / es et dies / Johann Peters.
D-B Ms. Lynar A 1 p.133-139 D-B Mus.ms. 40316 f.26v-28r	[A 1:] Da pacem Domine / in dieb nostris. / Joann. Pieters.
D-B Ms. Lynar A 1 p.117-120 Zellerfeld Organ Tablatures II p.36-37 Zellerfeld Organ Tablatures II p.38-41 I-Tn Collezione Giordano, Ms. 5 f.130v-136r	[A 1:] Erbarm dich mein / o Herre Gott. / Joann Pieters.
I-Tn Collezione Giordano, Ms. 5 f.125v-131r	Versus / J. P. S.		Es sind doch selig alle
D-B Ms. Lynar B 2 f.23v-25r Eckelt Tablature f.45v-46r Zellerfeld Organ Tablatuers I p.236-239 Zellerfeld Organ Tablatures II p.54-57	[B 2:] Es spricht der / unweisen Mundt / woll
Zellerfeld Organ Tablatures I p.20-25/179-184	Herr Christ / d einige Got= / tessohn
D-B Ms. Lynar A 1 p.205-210 H-Bmnm Bartfai gyüjtemeny Ms. 27 f.25v-27r	[A 1:] Ich ruff zu dir / Herr Jesu Christ / Johann Peters.
Zellerfeld Organ Tablatures I p.14-17	Jesuß Christus / unser Heiland
D-B Ms. Lynar A 1 p.120-123 A-Wm Ms. XIV-714 f.223v-224r	[A 1:] Nu freut euch lieben / Christen gemein, / Joann: Pieters.
D-B Ms. Lynar A 1 p.211-213	Puer nobis / nascitur / Johann Peters.
H-Bmnm Bartfai gyüjtemeny Ms. 27 f.15r-16r Zellerfeld Organ Tablatures II p.58-61	[H-Bmnm:] Cantic: Sacr: Vater unser im Himmelreich / Joan Pet. Sch: Amb. Org.
Zellerfeld Organ Tablatures I p.149-152 D-Lr Mus.ant.pract. K.N. 208/2 f.47v-48r	[Ze:] Vom himmel / hoch da kim / ich her. p.
D-B Ms. Lynar A 1 p.140-149 I-Tn Collezione Giordano, Ms. 5 f.135v-140r	[A 1:] Wir glauben all / an einen Gott. / Joann Pieters.
D-B Ms. Lynar B 2 f.19v-21r	P 23 / Main hütter vnndt / mein hirtt / auf 2 Clauiren
D-B Ms. Lynar B 2 f.15v-17r	Psalm ii6 / J. P.
D-B Ms. Lynar A 1 p.166-172	Mein Junges Leben / hat ein Endt, / Johann. Pieters.
D-B Ms. Lynar B 2 f.18v-19r	O Gott du / unser Vater / bist / Auff 2 Clauiren

Chronological Bibliography

Klaus Beckmann. "Echtheitsprobleme im Repertoire des hanseatischen Orgelbarocks". In Ars Organi 37, 1989. p.150-162.

Klaus Beckmann. "Der Fall 'Johan. P.'. Die Rehabilitierung des Hamburger Nicolai-Organisten Johann Praetorius (d. 1660) und ihre Folgen für das Orgeloeuvre Jan Pieterszoon Sweelincks". In Der Kirchenmusiker 41 (1990). p.16-22.

Klaus Beckmann. "Der Fall 'Johan. P' (II). Die Rehabilitierung des Hamburger Nicolai-Organisten Johann Praetorius (d. 1660) und ihre Folgen für das Orgeloeuvre Heinrich Scheidemanns." in Der Kirchenmusiker 41 (1990) p.215-222.

Pieter Dirksen. "Sweelinck versus Praetorius." in Het Orgel 86 (1990) p.279-286.

Klaus Beckmann. "Der Fall 'Johan. P' (III). Die Rehabilitierung des Hamburger Nicolai-Organisten Johann Praetorius (d. 1660) und ihre Folgen für das Orgeloeuvre Heinrich Scheidemanns." in Der Kirchenmusiker 42 (1991) p.51-58.

Klaus Beckmann. "Johannes redivivus Praetorius." in Der Kirchenmusiker 42 (1991) p.95-101.

Pieter Dirksen. "Nogmals: De zaak Johannes Praetorius." in Het Orgel 87 (1991) p.41-50.

Barbara Stirn. "Die Orgeltabulaturen der Calvörschen Bibliothek zu Clausthal-Zellerfeld..." Hausarbeit zur Erlangung des Magistergrades (M.A.) Göttingen 1991.

Klaus Beckmann Johann Praetorius: Sämtliche Orgelwerke. Meister der Norddeutschen Orgelschule 7. Mainz: Schott, 2004.

Ibo Ortgies. "Zur Diskussion um die Zellerfelder Orgeltabulatur in Concerto Nr.207/208." in Concerto 209. Köln: Concerto 2006. p.22-24.

Pieter Dirksen. "Der Entstehungshintergrund der Zellerfelder Orgeltabulaturen. Neue Erkenntnisse." in Concerto 207. Köln: Concerto 2006. p.23-27

Herald Vogel and Pieter Dirksen. Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck: Sämtliche Werke für Tasteninstrumente. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 2006.

Beckmann, Klaus, Die Norddeutsche Schule. Teil II: Blütezeit und Verfall. Mainz: Schott, 2009. p.166-172.