Biblioteca de la Guitarra y Cuerda Pulsada

The   present   study   attempts   to   gather   together   everything   known   about   the   activities   of   the   great Prague lutenist.  There are several reasons for making this attempt. First is the fact that Count Losy, as  wealthy and  influential   a  man  as  he  was,   did  not remain  a  mere  dilettante as did  so many  of  his noble contemporaries. Through his works, of which only a portion has come down to us, Losy shows himself to be more than an amateur of his instrument; his talent and training enabled him to achieve higher things. Second, he and the somewhat older Esajas Reusner are the sole representatives of the early German baroque school of luteplaying and, thus, are of considerable importance. The proof of their   importance   rests   on   the   fact   that   their   music  continued   to   be   quoted   long   after   their   deaths. Measured by the  number  of surviving  manuscript copies, the esteem of  Losy’s work is equalled only by  that   enjoyed  by  Ennemond  and  Denis  Gaultier.  Last,  but  not  least,   Losy’s  school  of  lute  playing constitutesan essential part of Bohemian musical...