Michael Praetorius, originally named Michael Schultze, was born in Creuzburg, Thuringia, the youngest son of a Lutheran pastor. His exact date of birth is uncertain, but it was likely September 28, 1571. After attending school in Torgau and Zerbst, he studied theology and philosophy at the University of Frankfurt (Oder). From 1587, he served as organist at St. Mary's Church in Frankfurt. From 1592/93, he was in the service of the court in Wolfenbüttel under Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg, initially as organist and later (from 1604) as Kapellmeister in the ducal state orchestra.
His first compositions appeared around 1602/03. Praetorius primarily devoted himself to Lutheran church music. The nine parts of his "Musae Sioniae" (1605–10), as well as his collections of liturgical music (masses, hymns, Magnificats) published in 1611, follow the German Protestant choral style. His works reflect the musical culture at the court of Groningen. It is noteworthy that the motets in this collection were the first in Germany to utilize the new Italian performance practices, thus establishing him as a capable composer.
As a German music theorist and composer, Praetorius left behind a major source of knowledge about 17th-century music with his "Syntagma musicum" (1614–20). His arrangements of Lutheran chorales are significant examples of early 17th-century religious music. He died on February 15, 1621, in Wolfenbüttel, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, exactly on his 50th birthday, assuming February 15 is his birthdate.