The Polish Contribution to Central European Musical Culture in the Seventeenth Century. The Case of Marcin Mielczewski

The seventeenth-century Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania, embracing the lands of the Polish Crown (together with the territory of present-day Ukraine) and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, belonged geographically to both Central and Eastern Europe. It was a multiethnic and multiconfessional state, in which the Latin and Greek cultures were mutually interactive. With regard to the musical culture of the royal court, however, itwas the close ties with Italy that were of the greatest significance. The Polish kings of the Vasa dynasty (above ali Zygmunt III and Władysław IV) maintained music chapels consisting to a considerable extent of Italian musicians, among whom were Luca Marenzio, Giulio Cesare Gabussi, Asprilio Pacelli, Giovanni Francesco Anerio and Tarquinio Merula. Thanks to the Polish patronage, they not only composed newworks, but also trained musicians of various nations belonging to the royal ensembles. Among the composers trained at the Polish court was the Italian Marco Scacchi (d. 1662), chapel-master to Władysław IV, the composer of operas staged in the royal theatre, and also a music theorist – the author of a classification of musical genres which was produced during Scacchi's dispute over music theory with the Gdansk organist Paul Siefert. This dispute contributed to the popularisation across Europe of the works of Scacchi and also of other musicians associated with the court of the Polish Vasas. Extant handwritten sources of Silesian provenance (belonging to the Emil Bohn collection, currently held in the Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz in Berlin) testify the considerable interest in this region (now within the Polish borders, but in the seventeenth century constituting a dominion of the Empire) in the religious compositions of Marcin Mielczewski (d. 1651), musician to Władysław IV (until 1644) and subsequently, until his death, chapel-master to Karol Ferdinand Vasa, Bishop of Płock and Wrocław. Of Mielczewski's compositional output for the needs of the Roman Catholic Church, copyists from Lutheran circles in Wrocław chose primarily psalms that were universal to the Christian repertory, furnishing those works whose texts chimed with the doctrine of the Augsburg confession with more appropriate texts of German-language contrafacta. However, this method was not always successful in eliminating traces of Catholicism, which remained, for example, in the melodies of works based on pre-compositional material drawn by Mielczewski from Marian songs that were popular in Poland (e.g. the church concerto Audite gentes et exsultate, also preserved in a version with the text of a German-language contrafactum entitled Nun höret alle, based on the song O gloriosa Domina, which in the former Commonwealth was treated as a chivalrous hymn).

Evidence for the breakdown of an Angkorian hydraulic system, and its historical implications for understanding the Khmer Empire

This paper examines the construction and design of a 7-km long embankment, probably builtfor King Jayavarman IV between 928 and 941 CE, as part of a new capital. We calculate thatthe capacities of the outlets were too small, and conclude that the embankment failed, probablywithin a decade of construction, so that the benefits of the reservoir stored by the embankmentand the access road on top of it were lessened substantially. We explain how the design wassub-optimal for construction, and that while the layout had a high aesthetic impact, theprocesses for ensuring structural integrity were poor. Simple and inexpensive steps to securethe weir were not undertaken. We speculate that this early failure may have contributed to thedecision to return the royal court and the capital of the Khmer Empire to the Angkor region,marking a critically important juncture in regional history.Abbreviations: APHRODITE, Asian Precipitation – Highly Resolved Observational DataIntegration Towards Evaluation (of Water Resources); ARI, annual recurrence interval; ASL,above sea level; DIAS, Data Integration and Analysis System; EFEO, École françaised'Extrême-Orient; GPR, ground penetrating radar; HEC-GeoRAS, Hydrologic EngineeringCenter: GIS tools for support of HEC-RAS; HEC-RAS, Hydrologic Engineering Center: RiverAnalysis System; HEC-HMS, Hydrologic Engineering Center: Hydrologic Modeling System;MCS, mesoscale convective system; RMSE, root mean square error; SRTM, NASA ShuttleRadar Topography Mission; TRMM, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

The Political Career of Gáspár Bekes and Ferenc Wesselényi in Poland-Lithuania during the Reign of Stefan Batory

This article is about the career and political positions of Gáspár Bekes and Ferenc Wesselényi in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during Stephen Báthory’s reign. It explains how they both achieved their positions and why they were important for the monarch. It should be emphasised that both of them are a good example of how the elected Polish king could help foreigners in their career in 16th century Poland. On the one hand, Gáspár Bekes achieved his position by serving in the army before and during Báthory’s wars, on the other hand Ferenc Wesselényi played an important role as a holder of a high office at the Polish royal court.

Działalność kasztelana krakowskiego Spytka Jarosławskiego (około 1451–1519) w dziedzicznym Jarosławiu i jej wpływ na późniejszy rozwój miasta

W artykule omówiona została działalność gospodarcza właściciela Jarosławia, kasztelana krakowskiego Spytka Jarosławskiego (około 1436–1519). Autor przedstawia jego działania podjęte w celu stworzenia z miasta centralnego ośrodka posiadanych dóbr ziemskich oraz ich wpływ na rozwój Jarosławia w czasach, gdy władał nim Spytek, jak też w okresie późniejszym. The Activities of the Krakow Castellan Spytek Jarosławski (ca. 1451–1519) in Hereditary Jarosław and Their Impact of the Subsequent Development of the Town The paper discusses the economic activities of Spytek Jarosławski (Spytek of Jarosław) in his hereditary town of Jarosław. Spytek was the most eminent representative of the Jarosław line of the Leliwite family (i.e. bearers of the Leliwa coat of arms). He began his career before 1461 at the royal court in the service of King Casimir Jagiellon (Kazimierz Jagiellończyk), obtaining successive offices, which culminated in the highest secular dignity – the Castellan of Krakow. These successive appointments were rewards for his commitment to political activity for the kings. In his hereditary estate he was a good administrator. During his rule in Jarosław, a number of public buildings and foundations came into existence. In 1479 Spytek confirmed the old rights and privileges of the Jarosław burghers and granted them new ones. The period of Spytek Jarosławski’s rule in Jarosław brought about the town’s development in all fields of life. During that time, Jarosław became also a major trading center of supraregional importance in Red Rus’. For the Jarosław Leliwites, the town became the capital of their feudal “state” with their own clerks, vassals, and army. That “state” was a kind of model for later magnate latifundia. Moreover, Spytek Jarosławski, with his brother Rafał, who resided in nearby Przeworsk, founded in 1470the first family (Jarosław-Przeworsk) entail in Poland.

Personajes y cortesanos en el Albacete del siglo XVI. Agentes y medios de relación entre el ámbito de la corte y un pequeño municipio

Once the regimental offices were alienated in the council of Albacete in 1543, becoming life-long and royally appointed, we find during the second half of the 16th century the presentation as aldermen in this council of Albacete of external characters, related to the Royal Court and to the areas of power at the level of the Central administration.

Vassalage

In the early thirteenth century a new formal relationship between popes and kings appeared: kings might now be papal ‘vassals’ (vassalli) and their kingdoms ‘fiefs’ (feuda). Such language appeared in King John of England’s surrender to Pope Innocent III in 1213 and thence spread to other kingdoms, including the kingdom of Man, through a network of courtiers at the papal curia, all of whom had connections with the English royal court. The development and construction of these relationships was a two-way process in which both kings and popes participated; such relationships were not enforced on unwilling rulers by an over-mighty papal monarchy.

PERROT, PIRATES AND PARISIAN GROCERS: SIR JOHN PERROT, COURT FACTION, JURISDICTIONAL CONFLICT AND THE AFFAIR OF THE PETER AND PAUL

The Marseilles ship, the Peter and Paul, became the object of a bitter dispute that internationalized an incident involving the royal courts of England, France, Portugal and Spain. At the time it was something of a cause célèbre that preoccupied the court, Privy Council and High Court of Admiralty. The significance of the ship's detention lies not so much in the incident itself but in the events surrounding it and the light it sheds on competing and conflicting jurisdictions involving the Westminster and Dublin governments. It reveals much about the bitter factionalism at the royal court which involved the Pembrokeshire magnate Sir John Perrot and Walter Devereux, earl of Essex.

Past da Present of village Jeglev

The article is about Past and present of village Jeglevi.The georgraphical environment of the village is reviewed:it is located in Ksani gorge, in the occupied territory, near Akhalgori, at a distance of 5 km, on the western slope of the Alevi ridge, at 1150m. above sea level. The etymology of the village is explained, which must be connected with the abundance of historical monuments. Therefore, we are talking about architectural monimebts, the ancient inscriptions there, which were studied and deciphered by the famous professor Giorgi Otkhmezuri.Particular attention is paid to such ancient demographic lists at the statistical descriptions of the 18th century Ksani Saeristavo, which Ekvtime Takaishvili saw during as archeological trip to the village of Ikoti in Akhalgori Municipality. The discriptions are published by both Ekvtime Takaishvili (2 descriptions) and Ivane Javakhishvili (3 descriptions). Based on their comparison, the historical reality of that tiome is explained, it is shown how severe the consequences of the Leks raid in Ksani gorge and including the village of Jeglev, where the so-called road to Akhalgori was passing “the way of the Leks”.The German traveler Johann Anton Guldenstedt mentions the monument among the villages looted and desolated by the Leks. “Bogano”, what was their condition and what was their obligation to the masters. In addition to the population descriptions, the paper reviews the documents of the late feudal period related to the village, which speaks about the social or economic situation of the village,relationship between the slaves and masters living here and Eristavi and Pitskhelauri. In indicates how the village passed from one lord to another, how the serfs opposed the Pitkhelauri and what position was held by the royal court of Kartli-Kakheti, and personally by Giorgi Batonishvili, a loyalist of the Mouravi of Akhalgori.At the end of the article shows the recent past of the village, from the 80-ies of the XXth century, paying special attention to the current demographic situation and the dire consequences of the August 2008 war and the occupation of the Akhalgori region. In a once crowded, 45 village today are only 6 families left, where often one or two people live.