Leonhardt Schröter

Leonhardt Schröter (c. 1532 – c. 1601) was a German Renaissance choirmaster, teacher, and composer at Magdeburg. Biography Leonhardt (alternatively spelled “Leonhard” or “Leonhart”) Schröter (or Schroeter) was born in Torgau. His education began in Torgau where one of his teachers was Johann Walter. His subsequent education included schools at Annaberg-Buchholz and following at the Meissen ducal school. He is thought to have died sometime around the year 1601, based on an inscription in Friedrich Weissensee’s “Opus Melicum” from 1602, which describes Schröter’s recent death. Works Schröter composed carols, hymns, motets, a passion, psalms, and a Te Deum which date from 1571 to 1587. He also composed several part-songs dating from 1562, which have been noted for their contrapuntal ability. His style has been described as having the “greatest simplicity”, but also the “highest grandeur,” simultaneously simple and sublime. He employed Reformation polyphony in his chorale settings, and also homophony, most notably in his eight-voice double-choir settings. His choral settings of psalms, while not numerous, are considered an “important contribution” to the Protestant motet tradition. Ref