Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) was an important organist, theorist, and composer of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is well know for his contribution to the development of Protestant hymnody and his theoretical work, Syntagma Musicum. Syntagma Musicum is a three volume treatise written between 1614 and 1620. The second volume, Organographia, contains woodcuts and descriptions about the instruments in use at the time.
Praetorius is also know for his work as an arranger, having arranged over three hundred dances for a collection he named, “Terpsichore”. In Greek mythology Terpichore is the muse of the dance. You can find our play along on YouTube: here.
Volta- The volta is a couples dance popular in the late Renaissance. The term “la volta” in Italian means “turn” or “turning” which give us an idea of what the dance looked like. The dance is often associated with the galliard and musically, the volta and the galliard are very similar. Some dance historians believe that the volta may have influenced the development of the polska and the waltz. You can find a video of the volta being danced: here.
