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JOHANN ANTON LOSY: LUTENIST OF PRAGUE

BY EMIL VOGL

for Růž ena

Foreword

A lengthy paper devoted to the life and works of Johann Anton Losy von Losinthal is in need of some justification. n several earlier articles !ased upon archival material" attempted to present information a!out the lives of a num!er of #ohemian lutenists"$ and among them devoted one short study to Losy" the father of the lute in %rague.& n those papers primarily attempted to clarifyuncertainties concerning Losy's life and to correct errors that had !een made !y earlier researchers(it was not my intent to give a detailed account of his life or of his surviving works.)he present study attempts to gather together everything known a!out the activities of the great %rague lutenist. )here are several reasons for making this attempt. First is the fact that *ount Losy"

as wealthy and influential a man as he was" did not remain a mere dilettante as did so many of hisno!le contemporaries. )hrough his works" of which only a portion has come down to us" Losy showshimself to !e more than an amateur of his instrument( his talent and training ena!led him to achievehigher things. +econd" he and the somewhat older ,sajas Reusner are the sole representatives of theearly -erman !aroue school of lute playing and" thus" are of considera!le importance. )he proof of their importance rests on the fact that their music continued to !e uoted long after their deaths. /easured !y the num!er of surviving manuscript copies" the esteem of Losy's work is eualled only!y that enjoyed !y ,nnemond and 0enis -aultier. Last" !ut not least" Losy's school of lute playing constitutes an essential part of #ohemian musical history.

/ost of our knowledge a!out Losy comes from the pioneering pu!lications of Adolf 1oc2ir2"although later articles added further information. )o me was left primarily the collection of what

was already known. have !een a!le" however" to clarify the long3disputed date and place of Losy's!irth" to find a portrait of him in his youth" and to solve the uestion of the guitar compositions that circulate under his name.

All this would not have entitled me to pu!lish a lengthy study on Losy" had not !een a!le toassem!le an inde4 of his known works. )his inde4 will appear" together with a discussion of thecomposer's music" in the second part of this study to !e pu!lished in the $56$ volume of the present Journal. t is to !e hoped that this inde4 will !e enlarged !y later discoveries.

wish to e4press my deepest thanks to the staff of the %rague 7niversity Li!rary and to the /usic 0ivision of the 8ational /useum in %rague for assisting me to o!tain material.

Testudo notissimum in nostria partibus instrumentum; nam tanta per omnes domosquocunque te vertis in Triurbe hac Regia, Lautnarum est copia, Ut nescio quot MaximorumPalatiorum, in casu hujus probandi asserti, tectis ex integro construendis succerrere cum ein

posses.Thomas altha!ar "ano#$a, *lavis ad thesaurum magnae artis musicae" Prague, %&'%.

Journal of the Lute +ociety of America, (ol. )***, pp. +- /%0'1 2L34 %0', 5'' %


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*n his important stud6 o7 4ustrian lute music, published in %0%, 4dol7 8oc!ir! presented a brie7 biograph6 o7 the Prague lutenist "ohann 4nton Los6, 9ount o7 Losinthal.: The title o7 8oc!ir!s stud6de7ines a time span bet#een the 6ears %+' and %&5'.


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Brench emigrants mentioned above. @is son "ohann /*1 remained a merchant, but cultivated lute pla6ing as a dilettante. @is teachers #ere his 7ather as #ell as a certain Mele6, again a Brenchman. 9is son, "ohann /**1, became a student o7 3ilvius Leopold Feiss and eventuall6 became pro7essionallutenist at the house o7 9ount von rIhl in


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dictine priest *#an "eline$, #ho lived not 7ar 7rom Prague. Than$s to the activit6 o7 9ount Los6,Prague pla6ed a leading role in lute music. 4side 7rom those musicians $no#n to us b6 name, there#ere doubtless numerous others #ho cultivated the lute in private circles.

These examples should be su77icient to demonstrate the signi7icance o7 3ilesia to the histor6 o7 the ?erman lute and to sho# the mingling o7 Polish and ?erman names and in7luence. 4 detailedstud6 o7 3ilesian lutenists and the search 7or the roots o7 their art in the Polish Renaissance a#aits the

author #ho can underta$e the project #ith an open mind.%'

Turning to the lute music o7 4ustria, #e 7ind that 4dol7 8oc!ir! has portra6ed this subject in anexemplar6 manner.%% @e did, ho#ever, include some lutenists onl6 tenuousl6 connected #ith the4ustrian area. 4mong these are Rochus erhand!$i, court lutenist to the avarian >lector Max>manuel; the Brench Marshall 9ount Tallard, an important lutenist #ho #as executed in regen!; theBrench emigrant "acques de 3aint-Luc; and the etherlander 4dam ?inter. >ven Theodor @erolddoes not belong among the list o7 4ustrian lutenists, since he #as 1apellmeister at the court inMain!. The eapolitan musician ?iuseppe Porsile belongs to onl6 a limited degree, being an operacomposer #ho #rote onl6 a 7e# insigni7icant minuets 7or the lute, probabl6 at the #ish o7 the>mpress-Fido# 4malia. one o7 these musicians can be considered part o7 the (iennese 3chool, so7ar as one can spea$ o7 such a school at all.%5

The (iennese lutenists #ere bourgeois emplo6ees o7 the court or noble amateurs. 4s #ith the3ilesians, one 7inds changes among those #ho sought to compose in the st6le o7 the Parisian masters.The 7irst #as the court chaplain "ohann ?ottlieb Pe6er, #ho #rote a manuscript DLusus testudinistenoris gallici, Teutonici labore textusE in the bro$en st6le. The court servant Berdinand *gna!@interleithner #as some#hat 6ounger. @e composed and had published several lute concerti; theseinaugurate an entire series o7 trios 7or bo#ed strings and lute in #hich the strings double the outer voices o7 the lute part. *t appears that the 7unction o7 the lute ma6 have changed in the environment o7 (iennese societ6. *nstead o7 ma$ing music in an intimate circle gathered around the pla6er, it seemsto have become necessar6 to ma$e the music o7 this quiet instrument accessible to a larger audience.Probabl6 the lute #as pla6ed in a large room #here the sound o7 the instrument #ould have been lost.There7ore, the treble and bass voices #ere doubled, although the intimate nature o7 lute music #as

7undamentall6 changed.4ndreas ohr von ohren7els and Fen!el Rudol7 von Radolt constitute the group o7 nobledilettantes. Cnl6 a 7e# #or$s b6 the 7ormer are $no#n.%: The latter le7t a printed volume o7 concerti7or several lutes and mixed groups o7 strings. Cne #or$ apiece #ere le7t b6 >mperor "ose7 * himsel7 and b6 Mathais ?abriel Brischau7. "ohann ?eorg Gechner composed a 7e# mediocre minuets, a signo7 the minuet mania that bro$e out in (iennese societ6 at that time.

9ertainl6 the most important o7 the (iennese to dedicate his talents to the lute #as "ohann ?eorgFeichenberger.%H orn in %& in ?ra!, he #as one o7 the music-ma$ing o77icials at the (iennesecourt. @is #or$s survive in several ohemian manuscripts and his trios 7or lute, violin, and basso7ten sho# the in7luence o7 Los6, #ho #as a generation older. Los6 o7ten appeared in (ienna ono77icial business, and #e can assume that the (iennese lutenists clustered around the 7amous andin7luential 9ount. Fithout doubt some attempted to imitate his st6le. Feichenbergers solos sho# adi77erent st6le 7rom his trios, and #e can onl6 guess at the reason 7or this apparent disparit6. @e diedin (ienna in %&H'.

The (iennese lute era closes #ith compositions 7or the expanded %:-course lute in #or$s b6 thearistocratic 4nton von ?aisruc$ and Berdinand 9ount von ergen. The minuets o7 Berdinand 3eideland the compositions o7 8arl 8ohaut, #ho brought a ne# brilliance to the lute concerto, do not belong to the baroque, but to the rococo era o7 Maria Theresia.

Journal of the Lute +ociety of America, (ol. )***, pp. +- /%0'1 2L34 %0', 5'' H


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Fe are no# read6 to turn to a discussion o7 ohemian lute music be7ore Los6. Cnl6 a 7e#names and 7e# musical monuments o7 ohemian lute music have been preserved 7rom the periodaround %''. "udging 7rom the exclusive use o7 ?erman tablature, ohemia #as under the in7luenceo7 its #estern neighbors. "ohann 4rpin lder, 7ather o7 the lutenist,#as elevated to the old aristocrac6, his 3#iss heritage is speci7icall6 mentioned. 3igned b6 the>mperor in 8lattau in ohemia, the same document also mentions a cousin, althaser de Mora, #ho#as in the *mperial militar6 service and li$e#ise described in the decree as 3#iss.55

The earliest member o7 the 7amil6 to be cited in the


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rochis.E Three children #ere born o7 this union= "ohann 4nton /7ather o7 the composer1, "ohannaptist, and a daughter "a$obina. The latter t#o remained their entire lives in 3#it!erland.

e7ore pursuing the career o7 "ohann 4nton Los6 the >lder, #e should mention a side branch o7 the 7amil6, #hose name o7ten appears in the Prague archives and causes some con7usion. "ohannaptist remained, as indicated above, in 3#it!erland. 47ter his marriage to Maria /#hose maidenname is un$no#n1, a son 3ebastian Los6 #as born in Pur!. 3ebastian 7ollo#ed his uncle to ohemia,

#as supported and promoted b6 him, and 7inall6 became ro6al director o7 the salt mine in Lin!,Upper 4ustria. Cn %+ "une %& he #as raised to the nobilit6, granted an improvement in his coat-o7-arms, and given the title Dvon Losenau.E Three sons #ere born to 3ebastian Los6 von Losenau=3ebastian ?regori, "ohann Libori, and "ohann aptist. The last studied in Prague at the "esuitUniversit6, #rote a dissertation entitled DMisellenea et utroque jure excerpta,E5: and becamelicentiate. @e died the 7ollo#ing 6ear and #as buried in the 3t. ?alli 9emeter6 in the Prague CldTo#n. The Los6s von Losenau can be traced in Prague into the nineteenth centur6. Cne o7 them, ason o7 3ebastian ?regori von Losenau, @einrich, o#ned a house /conscription no. :51 onLangengasse in the Prague Cld To#n.5H

The 7ather o7 the lutenist Los6, "ohann 4nton Los6 de Los6s, #as born about %'' in3#it!erland, but came to ohemia as a 6oung man, as did so man6 other adventurers and

mercenaries, lured b6 the business opportunities spa#ned b6 the Thirt6 Jears Far. The 7irstre7erence to his sta6 in Prague dates 7rom %5& #hen he bought the house D4t the three little bellsE /DGu den drei ?lKc$chenE1, conscription no. %5, on #hat is toda6 Thungasse.5+ The sum the6oung Los6 had to pa6 #as not small= :'' 7lorins. Brom this #e can surmise that either he had brought mone6 7rom home or had alread6 become a #ealth6 man through success7ul businessventures. The house had belonged to the 9ourt 3urgeon, 4ndreas 3teinmann, #ho le7t ohemia a7ter the attle o7 Fhite Mountain due to his Lutheran 7aith. 4s #e shall see, man6 o7 Los6s other properties #ere obtained through such opportunities.

"ohann 4nton Los6 de Los6s entered the service o7 the ohemian 9ourt 9hamber and soon became 9ouncillor o7 the >xchequer and lder married 4nna 9onstancie 8oller, the daughter o7 artholomNus 8oller !u Lerchenried and his #i7e >li!abeth, ne ?ruber von ?rubec$, in 3t.Michaels 9hurch in (ienna. This marriage produced six children= 7our girls and t#o bo6s. 4nna9onstancie appears to be the eldest daughter; she later married "ohann Breiherr von 3porc$. 4 seconddaughter 8atharina >li!abeth married 8arl "oachim 9ount von reda, died in %&5, and #as buriedat 3t. Michaels in Prague. The third daughter Maria Therese became the #i7e o7 9ount Berdinand9hristoph von 3cheidlern. 3he died in %0 and #as buried in the 7amil6 cr6pt at the @ibernia9hurch in Prague. The presumed 6oungest daughter #as Maria "osepha, #ho married "ohann 4ntonaron Pachta von Rajova and died in %&+H in rInn. 3he and her 7iance at the time #ere godparentsin %0' to "osepha, the child o7 the lutenist 4ntoni >c$stein. 5&

The t#o sons o7 "ohann 4nton Los6 the >lder #ere the musician o7 the same name and his6ounger brother "ohann aptist. The birth dates in the


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Li$e his brother the lutenist, "ohann aptist studied at the "esuit Universit6 in Prague and7inished #ith a dissertation in %.50 *n this slim boo$let he sings the praises o7 the emblems on theLos6 coat-o7-arms= the cro#ned 4ustrian eagle, the s#an #ith a star in its bea$, in the middle an B.*** /the initials o7 >mperor Berdinand ***1, a mailed 7ist protruding 7rom a to#er gate, three #hitestripes on a dar$ bac$ground; the shield is borne b6 t#o cro#ned lions; above the shield are threehelmets and again the heraldic eagle and s#an, all cro#ned b6 the initials B. *** #ith the 4ustrian

imperial cro#n. "ohann aptist is cited in ?erman as poeta academicus.Fe learn something o7 the li7e o7 the 6ounger Los6 7rom documents in the 9!echoslova$ian3tate 4rchive in Prague. The li7e o7 this 6oung nobleman 7rom a ver6 rich household, ho#ever, doesnot present a prett6 picture. *n %&& a merchant and citi!en o7 Prague, Maithasar 3eptier, requestshouse arrest 7or the 6oung Los6 and demands pa6ment o7 %%5 7lorins, 5: 1reu2er. 3imilar sums aredemanded b6 the tailor Peter Fol$in 7or goods delivered, and


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3antini de assi over small sums,:+ and 7or 6ears conducted a la#suit see$ing to obtain the village o7 8uriman, onl6 to lose in the end.: @is intractable #ill to be in the right can be seen in a letter to thePrague magistrate, in #hich he protested against the chimne6 s#eep lder acquired other properties 7rom thecon7iscated possessions o7 Protestants #ho had to leave the countr6 a7ter the attle o7 FhiteMountain. C7 particular importance #as a building Los6 bought in %:& on @ibernia 3treet/@6bernergasse or @6berns$Q1 in the Prague e# To#n 7rom Bran! 9hiesa. Li$e Los6, the 9hiesas

#ere 7oreigners, #ho had gained importance as tax inspectors o7 the 3alt, eer, and Fine 9ouncil.9hiesa had bought the building 7or speculative purposes earlier the same 6ear 7rom the agents o7 the#ido# o7 the executed 9ommissar o7 the nglish par$, no# gone to seed,#ith a lovel6 arcaded court6ard and a chapel dedicated to 3t. arbara. 4bove the portal and in thegreat hall the Los6 coat-o7-arms can still be seen toda6. The castle has no# been converted into ahome 7or the elderl6.H%

3te$en 9astle, some#hat apart 7rom the great militar6 road to 3outhern ohemia, #as the sole possession o7 Los6 to escape the #ar. The house in the 1leinseite had been plundered and rendereduninhabitable b6 the 3#edes #hen the6 captured the le7t ban$ o7 the Moldau in %H and the palaceon @ibernia 3treet #as not 6et built, the propert6 consisting o7 t#o uninhabitable buildings and a

Journal of the Lute +ociety of America, (ol. )***, pp. +- /%0'1 2L34 %0', 5''


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ruin. Bear o7 epidemic and death b6 starvation #ould have led the 7amil6 to ta$e re7uge in the castlein 3outhern ohemia a7ter the liberation o7 Prague, in #hich Los6 had personall6 ta$en part #ith hiscompan6. 3te$en had been spared the plundering o7 the #ithdra#ing soldiers o7 ?eneralFIrttenberg. @ere in 3te$en, later to become the #ido#s seat o7 the musicians mother,undoubtedl6 #as born the lutenist "ohann 4nton Los6 von Losinthal.

Un7ortunatel6, * have been unable to establish Los6s exact birthdate and, along #ith previous

#riters, have had to content m6sel7 #ith an assumption about his birthplace. *n all probabilit6,ho#ever, 3te$en is the birthplace o7 the composer; the genealogical collection o7 9ount


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The 7aade o7 the Los6 palace on @ibernia 3treet, Prague, as it appeared ca. %0'./Photograph b6


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Los6 published his dissertation, in accordance #ith the taste o7 the time. This publicationcontains the onl6 $no#n portrait o7 the 6oung Los6 and is the onl6 portrait to survive. 8oc!ir!, #ho7irst called attention to this publication, probabl6 never sa# it, other#ise he could not have missedthe picture.H Bor his description o7 the thesis, he relied on a stud6 b6 Paul 8nKttl, #ho mentionedLos6s dissertation in the course o7 his description o7 the librar6 o7 Breiherr "obst @ilmar von 8nigge.H& The cop6 no# in the Universit6 Librar6 in Prague originall6 came 7rom the collection

o7 the Prague Lob$o#it! 7amil6.H

The volume contains several graphics, #hich have nothing at all todo #ith the thesis. The6 have been described b6 Pa!aure$, #ho mentioned them during thecompilation o7 the graphic #or$ o7 8arl 3$reta, but #ithout mentioning the topic that concerns ushere.H0

Los6s thesis is a thin, large, 7olio volume bound in parchment. *t contains some printed pages o7 the actual thesis and seven pages o7 copper engravings. The title *onclusiones philosophicae" seu philosophia /argaritis e4ornata betra6s its dedication to >mpress Margarete, the #i7e o7 >mperor Leopold *. The text o7 the dissertation is almost unreadable toda6 #ith its baroque convolutions, andcontains numerous more-or-less appropriate quotations 7rom classic Latin authors. The primar6 goalis the glori7ication o7 the @ouse o7 @apsburg and particularl6 the *mperial couple, Leopold * andMargareta o7 3pain. The most valuable part o7 the publication is the seven copper engravings /5x:

cm1 b6 the Prague painter and graphic artist 8arl 3$reta /%%'-%&H1. Pa!aure$ describes onl6 six o7 the seven leaves, but does so ver6 #ell.The 7irst lea7, 7or us the most important, is a dedication to the >mperor #ho, clad in Roman

armor, receives a shell #ith a pearl 7rom the hand o7 the Madonna #ith the 9hrist child nestledagainst her. *n the bac$ground ereids and sea-gods s6mboli!e the marine po#er o7 3pain. 4bovethem #aves the 3panish 7lag. *n the 7oreground stand men #ith s6mbols o7 generosit6 and lo6alt6 A the open e6e in the palm o7 a hand and hunting hounds. Fe, ho#ever, are most interested in the6outh in the right 7oreground. @e #ears the costume o7 the period a7ter the Thirt6 Jears Far, haslong loc$s o7 hair, and loo$s admiringl6 up at the Madonna. e7ore the >mperor he unrolls a thesis,#hich has his name in its title. This is the %-6ear-old 9ount Los6, the later-celebrated lutenist.

3uch dedication pages #ere common at the time and 3$reta executed several others. Together

#ith the engraver artholomNus 8ilian the Jounger 7rom 4ugsburg /%:'- %01, he illustrated thedissertations o7 8arl Maximilian La!ans$6, t#o brothers 3ternberg and Berdinand von 4lthan, and"ohann Falderode von >c$hausen.+'

Li$e so man6 6oung nobles 7rom rich houses, Los6 probabl6 embar$ed upon the customar6cavaliers tour o7 >uropean capitals a7ter the success7ul completion o7 his studies. Fe have no directre7erences to it, except 7or the notice in R6bic$a in #hich he spea$s o7 Los6s trip to ?erman6, *tal6,Brance, and elgium, but #ithout mentioning the source o7 his in7ormation. The 7act that Los6 visitedthe >uropean capitals a7ter his graduation seems not improbable i7 one thin$s o7 the cavalier tours o7 "ohann 4dam von Suestenberg, lord o7 "arom ice in Moravia, 7rom the 6ears %0& to %00, in#hich he even records pa6ments 7or instruction #ith a lute teacher in *tal6.+% Fe $no# o7 Los6s sta6in Leip!ig about %0& and o7 a musical contest bet#een him, @ebenstreit and 8uhnau. +5 Cn hearing@ebenstreits pla6ing Los6 is said to have exclaimed, D* have been in *tal6, heard all the beauti7ulthings music has to o77er, but nothing li$e this ever met m6 ears.E Thus, a sta6 in *tal6 7or Los6 is probable, but he could not have heard much that #as ne# in lute pla6ing there, since at that time thelute in *tal6 #as in its period o7 steepest decline. Cn the other hand, he could have been introduced toone or another o7


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time ne# lutenistic art. Fhether his model #as 9harles Mouton,


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The first leaf of Los!s thesis"

Journal of the Lute +ociety of America, (ol. )***, pp. +- /%0'1 2L34 %0', 5'' %:


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The 7irst #riter to mention Los6 #as the lutenist Philipp Bran! Le 3age de Richee, #ho published Los6s D9ourante extraordinaireE in his *a!inet der Lauten /reslau, %0+1. @o# highl6Le 3age esteemed the Prague lutenist is sho#n b6 the copper engraving and the 7ore#ord to thiscollection. The 7rontispiece depicts a cherub pulling the curtain 7rom in 7ront o7 7ive boo$s l6ing on astage.+0 The boo$s are stac$ed on top o7 each other; the lo#est one lies #ith its spine turned a#a67rom the vie#er, so that #e cannot read the name o7 the author. The 7our boo$s on top, ho#ever,

have the names o7 7amous lutenists inscribed on their spines. Brom the lo#est #e read= ?aultier,Mouton,


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3tKl!el tells us that, next to the lute, Los6 also pla6ed the violin s$ill7ull6. 3ome copies o7 violincompositions b6 Los6 have survived; un7ortunatel6, the6 are onl6 7ragments #ithout accompanimento7 another instrument, and are hence o7 no value 7or our stud6. There is no#here an6 mention o7 the9ount pla6ing the guitar. * #ill explain m6 standing on this matter in the second part o7 this stud6, but#ill no# state that all speculations that Los6 pla6ed the guitar or composed 7or it are completel6#ithout 7oundation.

3tKl!el also reports that Los6 loc$ed up especiall6 good ideas 7or his compositions in a littlecase. To this can be added arons comment about his manner o7 composing a#a6 7rom home=

9ount Los6 is said to have been so pensive about the instrument Vthe luteW that he o7ten too$ it along on journe6s and #hen a good idea came to him he had the horses stopped andrecorded it in his tablet.:

9ount Los6s character #as described b6 ?ott7ried "ohann


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4dalbert 8ali#oda. Paul ettl indicates that Breiherr "ose7 Lud#ig von @artig #as an aristocraticProtector and adds that the Breiherr /baron1 #as granted the title o7 9ount on 5' Bebruar6 %&%0. *nLos6s #ill, #ritten on 0 4ugust %&5%, a "ose7 @ubert Breiherr von @artig signed as a #itness. 3incehe doubtless belonged to the inner circle o7 the 9ounts 7riends, his love o7 music #ould have unitedhim and the lutenist. @is is probabl6 the Protector at the 7ounding o7 the musical 4cadem6. Fe canassume that Los6, too, supported these e77orts. 4nother 7igure in the circle around the 9ount #as

"ose7 Bran! LK# von >ris7eld, #ho had three doctorates and #as the ph6sician #ho treated Los6. @ealso signed Los6s #ill as a #itness. *n his biographical account published b6 Mattheson, 3tKl!elmentions a Breiherr von @artig, although #ithout mentioning a 7orename, and a musician 7riendnamed 4dlers7eld #ith #hom he sta6ed in Prague=

Then * traveled over Lin! to Prague and sta6ed there almost three 6ears. 4mong the musiclovers there Vin PragueW @err 4nton von 4dlers7eld must properl6 be placed 7oremost; it #asin his house that * had the honor to sta6 most contentedl6 7or the entire time. ext to this *had the good 7ortune to spend man6 hours a #ee$, 6es, even entire da6s o7 music-ma$ing#ith the no# departed 9ount Logi, and o7ten to hear Breiherr von @artig on the *lavier.0

Fe might raise the question #hether the ver6 similar names 4dlers7eld and >rls7eld might not

have been con7used and that 3tKl!el actuall6 sta6ed at the home o7 Ritter von >rls7eld.Brom all this #e in7er that the musician Los6 also chose his 7riends 7rom musical circles. The6#ere not all nobles, as the example o7 4ntoni >c$stein demonstrates. Fe can prove a directconnection bet#een this bourgeois lutenist and the house o7 Los6. >c$stein married a 7emale subjecto7 the 9ounts; she probabl6 had #or$ed at Los6s palace in Prague.

8oc!ir! postulated the death o7 9ount Los6 in the period bet#een 0 4ugust %&5%, the da6 #henthe #ill #as #ritten and signed, and 5 3eptember o7 the same 6ear, #hen the #ill #as recorded in thestate registr6.&' *n contrast to the in7ormation received b6 8oc!ir! that a death entr6 could not be7ound in the Prague registr6, * succeeded quite easil6 in 7inding the pertinent notice under the date 554ugust %&5% in the death boo$ o7 the parish o7 3t. @einrich in the Prague e# To#n. 4ctuall6 the palace on @ibernia 3treet #here the 9ount died belonged to the parish o7 3t. Peter in the ?ermanPeter Suarter o7 the e# To#n, but the pastors o7 the t#o parishes seem to have had some $ind o7 agreement. 4t an6 rate, the pastor o7 3t. Peter apparentl6 made no protest that the death entr6 #asrecorded at 3t. @einrich. The pastor at the latter parish, Pastor 3chKnp7lug, le7t the administration o7 the actual last rites to a "esuit priest named Fol7 and pleaded absence. 3chKnp7lug had held his position onl6 t#o 6ears, and #e can, there7ore, understand that he le7t the administration o7 thesacraments to the "esuits. The death entr6 is the onl6 evidence #e have concerning the correct 6ear o7 Los6s birth, because it gives his age. The entr6 reads, in translation 7rom the 9!ech=

(on Losi, buried praevia parochialis juris contentatione" the high-born Lord, 9ount excell."ohann 4nton Los6 von Losinthal, &% 6ears old, o7 drops6, provided b6 me, sac. viatico #ithm6 permission in a!sentia b6 the priest Fol7 o7 the 3ociet6 o7 "esus, #ith extreme unction,lies in the @ibernian 9hurch, item testor "ohann ernhard 3chKnp7lug pastor o7 3t.@einrich.&%

*n his #ill Los6 remembered his con7essor, the "esuit priest Fol7, #ith %+'' 7lorins 7or theerection o7 an altar at 3t. 9lement, the principal church o7 the "esuits. This bequest sho#s us thatsince the time o7 his studies he had been under the in7luence o7 this po#er7ul order. @is bequest tothe servants o7 the house #as mentioned above. @e also remembered his doctor LK# von >rls7eld#ith a monetar6 gi7t.&5

Journal of the Lute +ociety of America, (ol. )***, pp. +- /%0'1 2L34 %0', 5'' %


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%'Cther 3ilesian lutenists include Meusel, a student o7 3. L. Feiss and >rnst ?ottlieb aron /%0-%&'1, the last importantlutenist and a major historian o7 his instrument. Feisss brother, "ohann 3igismund, and sister #ere also respected lutenists, as #asBreiherr ogisla# von roni$o#s$i, #ho came 7rom Cppeln. @is polonaise and minuet 7or lute appear in a %&+5 manuscript /erlinH'::1.

%%eside the titles cited in note : above, 8oc!ir! contributed the stud6 DKhmische Lauten$unst um %&5',E Alt %rager Almanach" Prague, %05 and the antholog6 iener Lautenmusik im $6. Jahrhundert" rbe


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:%4ntonin R6biZ$a, /GNtan a studujEc v r.$OP6 V9iti!ens and 3tudents in the Jear %HW, Prague, %&'.

:53tate 4rchive, Prague, 3ign. M L :%H.

::Prague ational Museum, Ms. ) L b 5'0.

:H3tate 4rchive, Prague, 3ign. 3M L :+5.

:+

3tate 4rchive, Prague, 3ign. 3M L :+%.:3tate 4rchive, Prague, 3ign. 3M L :+0.

:&Prague 9it6 4rchive, letter o7 5: "ul6 %&.

:"ohann Mattheson, -rundlage einer ,hren3%forte /%&H'1, ne# edition b6 Max 3chneider, erlin, %0%', p.%&%.

:04n example o7 such a purchase is the land, castle, and to#n o7 Tachau. Cn Ma6, %H an appraisal o7 this propert6 #asdecreed b6 the governor o7 ohemia /see "ose7 3tachlK#, -eschichte der +tadt )achau" Tachau, %&1. The extensive lands #erevalued at 5+,5 Rhenish 7lorins. Los6 acquired them 7or %%,''' and %''' 7lorins deposit, less than hal7 the appraised value. The

purchase #as con7irmed in mperor Leopold *. *t should be mentioned, ho#ever, that the castle #as burned do#n b6 the 3#edes in %H at the end o7 the Thirt6 Jears Far, the villages o7 the dominion #ere deserted, and the 7ieldsuntended and gone to seed. 4n example o7 the deprivation and miser6 o7 the people during the #ar #as the village erni$ov, #hich

belonged to the dominion o7 3te$en. e7ore the #ar in %%+ it had %&' inhabitants; in %H, still be7ore the 3#edish 4ttac$, there #ere

onl6 5 souls le7t. The population increased onl6 slo#l6 a7ter the #ar; erni$ov had just : inhabitants in %+:.H'3tate 4rchive, Prague, 3ign. 3M L :+.

H%Los6 the >lder acquired man6 other properties, o7 #hich the 7ollo#ing might be mentioned. *n %H he bought the@ammerstadt estate in the 9!aslau lder appointed a ne# burgrave o7 Tachau, the *talian 4nton 9asanova de "uri. @is son"ohann 4nton 9asanova received his doctorate in %0 at the Universit6 o7 Prague Dunder the Protectorate,E as it reads in the title o7 the dissertation, o7 the 6oung doctor o7 philosoph6 "ohann 4nton Los6, the lutenist. The Los6s must have had close connections #iththe 9asanovas; on %0 "anuar6, %+0 old Los6 #as god7ather at the christening o7 a 6ounger brother o7 the 7uture doctor o7 philosoph6.

The christening too$ place in the 9hurch o7 3t. ?alli in the Prague Cld To#n and the child #as christened 9arolus "osephus "oannes.H5aron, p..

H:8oc!ir!, D]sterreichische Lautenmusi$,E p. &&, note .

HHDMatricula universitatis Prag ensis, rectorum decanorum pro7essorum et speciatim in 7acultate philosophica graduatorumab anno unionis Mine schlesische 3tadtbibliothe$ des %&. "ahrhunderts,E Deitschrift des ereines f:r -eschichte und Altert:mer +chlesiens" (ol. + /reslau, %0+1, p. 5H0.

HUniversit6 Librar6, Prague, 3ign. + 4 5H.

H0?ustav Pa!aure$, 1arl +kreta" Prague, %0.

+'Pavel erger and "an @erain, 1arel +kreta" Prague, %0%'.

+%8oc!ir!, D]sterreichische Lautenmusi$,E pp. 0-&%.

Journal of the Lute +ociety of America, (ol. )***, pp. +- /%0'1 2L34 %0', 5'' %0


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+5"ohann Mattheson, *ritica /usica" %&5+, (ol. 5, p. 5:&.

+:"ose7 Guth, -raf Logi" AusgewHhlte -uitarren3+t:cke" (ienna, %0%0.

+H3tate 4rchive, Prague, 3ign. 3M L :+ 7rom 5% "anuar6 %&''.

++3tate 4rchive, Fittingau, 3ign. 34U +' g.

+

>dited b6 Br. ?er!abe$. Universit6 Librar6, Prague, 3ign. 5+ 9 %+.+&This is probabl6 a re7erence to Matthesons 0as 8eu3,rKffnete >rchestre /%&%:1 #here Los6 is mentioned b6 name. 3ee

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