Praetorius was an organ student of his father Jacob later becoming a copyist and organist for St. Jacobi in Hamburg. For the next few years he served well at Erfurt from 1580 until 1582 thereafter succeeding his father at Hamburg in 1586. As a leading composer of sacred music including numerous wedding compositions, Hieronymus wrote approximately one hundred motets. He was one of first northern Germans to employ the use of Venetian polychoral settings for sacred pieces including a setting with four choirs and twenty different voices. Praetorius composed six

masses, nine magnificats, a number of organ works and the first collection of chorales to designate organ accompaniment. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi