Michael Praetorius (probably February 15, 1571 – February 15, 1621) was a German composer and writer on music. He was one of a virtually all prolific & versatile composers of his instance, & was particularly important in the development of musical forms according to Protestant hymns.

He was innate around Creuzburg and studied around Torgau, Frankfurt an der Oder and Zerbst. He was organist at a Marienkirche inside Frankfurt prior to working at a court within Wolfenbüttel as organist and (from 1604) Kapellmeister. From either 1613 to 1616 he worked at the Saxon court at Dresden, where he was studied to the latest Italian music, including the polychoral works of the Venetian School. His subsequent development of the form of the chorale concerto, particularly a polychoral kind, resulted directly from either his familiarity by owning the music of such Venetians as Giovanni Gabrieli.

He was a enormously prolific composer, his works showing the influence of coeval Samuel Scheidt and Heinrich Schütz as well as a Italians. His works include a nine volume Musae sioniae (1605-10), the collection of across the thousand chorale and song arrangements; many more works for the Lutheran church; and Terpsichore, the collection of implemental dances & his sole living laic function. His ternion volume treatise Syntagma musicum (1614-20) occurs as elaborated text in contemporary musical practices & musical instruments, and is an crucial document inside musicology, organology and the field of authentic performance.