The Lutheran History Podcast
The Lutheran History Podcast interviews professional and independent historians on their work, covering over 500 years of Lutheranism. We hear new stories, examine old heroes of faith, and dig into the who, how, what, and why of history-making.
The Lutheran History Podcast
TLHP 08 Michael Praetorius and The Purpose, Effect, and Value of Choral Church Music with Nathaniel Biebert
Music has always been a big part of Christianity, and especially Lutheranism ever since the Reformation. If I were to ask Lutherans to name Lutheran composers, Martin Luther would probably be on that list. In the intro to The Lutheran Podcast, I remarked how Lutheran composers like J.S. Bach are still popular centuries after their deaths. Did you know that Bach still gets over 7 million monthly listeners on Spotify? Another Lutheran composer, who falls on the timeline between Luther and Bach was rather popular in his own day, and still registers a respectable 800,000 listeners on Spotify. Today we’ll talk about Michael Praetorius. Today, February 15, just so happens to the be 400th anniversary of his death.
Here are three albums that would make for a great introduction to Praetorius:
https://www.amazon.com/Praetorius-Christmette-Gabrieli-Consort-Players/dp/B00DNVIVHC/
https://www.amazon.com/Praetorius-Polyhymnia-Caduceatrix-Panegyrica-Christmas/dp/B0000029VM/
https://www.amazon.com/Dances-Terpsichore-1612-Philip-Pickett/dp/B000SNUI4W/
And here is a link to a Praetorius concert you can watch for free (Praetorius dances):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JWYIY3icUg
Link to Heaven is my Fatherland on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1532684312/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
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- About the Host
- Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.
- Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.