Michael Praetorius: Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

The versatile and prolific Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) is known as a composer of dance music, sacred music, and music for Advent and Christmas. He worked as Kapellmeister at the court of Wolfenbüttel, but was also asked to serve in other places, including Dresden. Praetorius was valued for the new impulses he gave to music through his use of instrumental accompaniment. His main contribution is his theoretical work "Syntagma Musicum", one of the most important musical reference books concerning instruments and instrumentation in the early 17th Century. "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" is a well-known ancient melody that has inspired numerous composers and arrangers throughout the centuries. Otto M. Schwarz has made a choral arrangement.