He received his doctorate in 1905 with a thesis on The Mensural Theory of Franchinus Gaffurius[2] and was director of the Museum of Musical Instruments of Leipzig University, then in Cologne, Worringerstrasse, between 1906 and 1909.
The advisory board of the National Theater, however, spoke out in favor of the retention of his general music director.
The Berlin opera houses refused Praetorius, who was now unemployed, an engagement, with the result that he worked as a taxi driver.
Hindemith was an advisor for the development of the Turkish music scene and thus had the opportunity to place numerous people persecuted by the Germans in the cultural sector in Turkey, including the director Carl Ebert, the pedagogue Eduard Zuckmayer, the violinist Licco Amar and the pianist Georg Markowitz.
In 1937 Praetorius stayed in Germany for the last time and undertook a concert tour as conductor to Stuttgart, Königsberg and Berlin from July to September.
In 1943 and 1944 he gave concerts in Ankara together with Wilhelm Kempff and Walter Gieseking – Turkey was still neutral during the World War.
During this time, Praetorius also began to build up a conservatory orchestra, which subsequently enjoyed success with numerous concerts.
[6] Due to his outstanding position at the head of the symphony orchestra founded by President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Ankara, the emigration was ultimately abandoned.
[7] Thanks to Praetorius' extraordinary prestige, he and his family were even spared internment in Anatolia, which affected all other German refugees as enemy statesmen after Turkey entered the war in 1944.