(in English): Aristocrats and war. Topic of this dissertation is the relation of nobility to the phenomenon of the war represented in this case by Czech nobility Chotek's family in the period Prussian- Austrian war in the year 1866 in our state territory. The basis for seeking of the answer were family correspondence and journals, which were created or have relation to the Prussian occupation in June and July of that particular year. According to the chosen standards documents, which are basis of adaptation of the edition, were selected. Two letters and two journals of members of the Chotek's family (Karel, Rudolf Karel and Arnošt) enriched with two public sources (Národní listy and Memorial Book of village Nové Dvory) provided ability of chronological comparison of the content of recorded events of these documents. The result of document analyses and comparison is, that counts Chotek's behavior and actions in this period showed no loyalty neither to the monarch nor patriotism but presented them as the large landowner, primarily interested in protection of their own property.

During the early 19th century, the flautist became known as a frivolous “dandy” figure whose extravagant appearance suited his light and virtuoso playing. He becomes a so-called professional virtuoso, generating his own income in the absence of aristocratic patronage while entertaining the rising bourgeois public, who demands light yet virtuoso performances. Many artists are disillusioned in this sphere where the arts seem to be reduced to something that is merely utile to the public – a form of entertainment; a social tool. The greatest concern of writers and poets is that the universal truth of their modern reality will not be expressed in art. It becomes the quest of these seemingly disempowered intellectuals to fight this tendency and to express the existential anguish, uncertainty and ennui of the modern materialist society through their art. It is against this background that the concept of the flautist as “aristocratic virtuoso” is developed. This idea opposes the concept of the “professional virtuoso” of the early 19th century. In this society where artists have to find their voice without the support of the aristocratic classes, 19th century disillusioned poet Charles Baudelaire develops the concept of a symbolic cultural aristocracy, wherein the artist is a privileged outsider “on the inside”; a spectator who takes up all of everyday existence, and transforms it into a profound poetic reality. It is with this theory in mind that I develop my thesis of the flautist as aristocratic virtuoso – a figure who captures the universal beauty of his time through his music and shares it with his audience. This dissertation is, therefore, a study of the events that brought about this re-definition of the role of the flautist in the 19th century. It explores the contribution of prominent composers, the impact of the Société Nationale de Musique Française and the French Flute School, as well as the development of the instrument. AFRIKAANS : Gedurende die vroeë 19de eeu onderskei die fluitis hom as ‘n byna windmakerige “dandy” figuur; sy fisieke voorkoms passend by sy ligte, dartelende tog uiters virtuose spel. Hierdie vroeë 19de eeuse fluitis staan bekend as die professionele virtuoos, omdat kunstenaars nie meer die beskermheerskap van die aristokrasie geniet nie, en vir hulle bestaan afhanklik word van die bourgeois publiek wat indrukwekkende, dog verteerbare vermaak van musici vereis. Verskeie kunstenaars voel vervreem in hierdie sfeer waarbinne die kunste gereduseer word tot iets wat “van nut” is vir die publiek. Die grootste kommer van skrywers en digters is dat dit wat van universele waarde in die realiteit van hulle epog is, nie tot uitdrukking kom in die kunste nie. Skrywers en intellektuele voel hulleself ontmagtig en dit word hulle doel om teen hierdie tendens te stry en deur hulle kuns die eksistensiële angs, onsekerheid en leegheid van die moderne materiële bestel uit te beeld. Dit is in hierdie denkraamwerk dat die konsep van die fluitis as “aristokraat virtuoos” sy oorsprong het. Hierdie idee staan vanselfsprekend in teenstelling met die “professionele virtuoos” van die vroeë 19de eeu. In ʼn samelewing waar die kunste sonder die reële gegewe van die aristokratiese beskerming en bevordering ʼn medium moet vind waarbinne hulle eie moderniteit uitgedruk kan word, ontwikkel die 19de eeuse ontnugterde digter Charles Baudelaire die konsep van ʼn nuutgevonde simboliese “kulturele” aristokrasie. Hy ontwikkel ʼn interessante dualiteit rondom die kunstenaar wat as bevoorregte objektiewe buitestaander ten nouste betrokke is by die samelewing en wat daarvoor verantwoordelik is om die tydelike met die ewige te verbind deur sy/haar kuns. Dis vanuit hierdie idee dat ek ʼn saak maak vir die fluitis as aristokraat virtuoos – as figuur wat binne die medium van musiek die skoonheid van sy tyd vasvang en met sy gehore deel. My studie is dus ‘n ondersoek rondom die gebeurtenisse wat hierdie hervorming in die 19de eeu meebring. Ek bestudeer komponiste wat ‘n belangrike bydrae lewer tot die fluitrepertorium, en ondersoek die stigting van die Société Nationale de Musique Française en die Franse Fluitskool, en die ontwikkeling van die instrument self. Copyright / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Music / unrestricted

Cette thèse porte sur les gestes et attitudes qui ont caractérisé la figure aristocratique dans l’art européen entre 1661 et 1789. Cet intervalle correspond à la durée de vie d’un paradigme corporel noble appelé « le bon air et la bonne grâce », de son élaboration à la cour de Louis XIV et de sa diffusion hégémonique en Europe, jusqu’à son rejet définitif à la Révolution française. La société d’Ancien Régime a déployé tout un arsenal de moyens (exercices, instruments orthopédiques,…) pour intérioriser une grâce qui devait paraître innée et prouver la noblesse. Le maître à danser détenait le monopole de l’inculcation de cette grâce et de son élaboration suivant des critères hautement esthétiques. Les gestes et positions inventoriés ici, sont décrits et associés à leurs connotations d’origine, montrant qu’une connaissance approfondie et minutieuse de la gestuelle peut affiner notre compréhension d’un large pan de l’art des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles. L’auteur démontre que cette hexis corporelle contemporaine transcende tous les domaines concernés par le corps noble (éducation, théâtre, danse, opéra, arts martiaux, etc.) et en vient à infiltrer la majorité des genres picturaux, bousculant les traditions artistiques déjà en place et s’affichant comme une alternative moderne à la grâce des Anciens. Le portrait, la gravure de mode, les figurines de porcelaine, les vues de villes et de jardins sont les plus touchés par ce phénomène. La bonne grâce s’affirme ainsi dans une culture visuelle qui, par ricochet, en vient à renforcer les pratiques sociales dont elle était le reflet. Cet aller-retour des attitudes aristocratiques entre l’art et la vie occasionne la standardisation de la figure et du corps aristocratiques. Dans la pastorale, la peinture d’histoire et la scène de genre, l’idéal aristocratique se manifeste, tantôt en négatif dans la figure du paysan, du Pierrot et de l’Arlequin, tantôt de manière idéalisée dans celles du berger et du héros galants. La substitution de gestes emphatiques et d’expressions faciales explicites par une gestuelle fondée sur la retenue et la dissimulation des passions, fondera une nouvelle historia moins lisible que la traditionnelle, mais plus subtile et insinuée, répondant ainsi mieux au goût et à la sensibilité aristocratique. / This thesis concerns the characteristic gestures and attitudes of the aristocratic figure in European art between 1661 and 1789. This period corresponds to the lifetime of a noble bodily ideal named “le bon air” and “la bonne grâce”, from its formulation at Louis XIV’s court and hegemonic propagation until its decline with the French Revolution. A panoply of means (exercises, orthopaedic instruments…) have been invented by the Ancien Régime society to embody a grace that should appear inborn and testify to noble birth. The dancing-master enjoyed the monopoly of inculcating this grace and elaborating it in accordance with highly aesthetic criteria. Most of the bon air and bonne grâce gestures and postures are here catalogued, described and associated with their original connotative values, showing that a deep and meticulous knowledge of body techniques can sharpen our understanding of a great proportion of Early Modern artworks. The author agues that this bodily habitus transcended every field concerned with the noble body (education, theatre, dance, opera, martial arts…) and came to infiltrate most pictorial genres, challenging age-old artistic traditions and imposing itself as a modern alternative to the grace of the Ancients. Portraiture, fashion plates, porcelain figurines, city and garden landscapes were the most affected by this phenomenon. Bonne grâce thus affirmed itself in a visual culture, which in return reinforced the very social practices that mirrored. The circular migration of aristocratic gestures between life and art caused a standardisation of both aristocratic body and figure. Within pastoral, history painting and genre scenes, the aristocratic ideal reveals itself antithetically in the figure of the peasant, the Pierrot and the Harlequin, and idealistically in those of the gallant shepherd and gallant hero. The substitution of emphatic gestures and strong facial expressions for ones based on restraint and dissimulation gave birth to a new historia that was less legible, but more subtle and suggestive, in accordance with aristocratic taste and sensibility.

Cette thèse porte sur les gestes et attitudes qui ont caractérisé la figure aristocratique dans l’art européen entre 1661 et 1789. Cet intervalle correspond à la durée de vie d’un paradigme corporel noble appelé « le bon air et la bonne grâce », de son élaboration à la cour de Louis XIV et de sa diffusion hégémonique en Europe, jusqu’à son rejet définitif à la Révolution française. La société d’Ancien Régime a déployé tout un arsenal de moyens (exercices, instruments orthopédiques,…) pour intérioriser une grâce qui devait paraître innée et prouver la noblesse. Le maître à danser détenait le monopole de l’inculcation de cette grâce et de son élaboration suivant des critères hautement esthétiques. Les gestes et positions inventoriés ici, sont décrits et associés à leurs connotations d’origine, montrant qu’une connaissance approfondie et minutieuse de la gestuelle peut affiner notre compréhension d’un large pan de l’art des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles. L’auteur démontre que cette hexis corporelle contemporaine transcende tous les domaines concernés par le corps noble (éducation, théâtre, danse, opéra, arts martiaux, etc.) et en vient à infiltrer la majorité des genres picturaux, bousculant les traditions artistiques déjà en place et s’affichant comme une alternative moderne à la grâce des Anciens. Le portrait, la gravure de mode, les figurines de porcelaine, les vues de villes et de jardins sont les plus touchés par ce phénomène. La bonne grâce s’affirme ainsi dans une culture visuelle qui, par ricochet, en vient à renforcer les pratiques sociales dont elle était le reflet. Cet aller-retour des attitudes aristocratiques entre l’art et la vie occasionne la standardisation de la figure et du corps aristocratiques. Dans la pastorale, la peinture d’histoire et la scène de genre, l’idéal aristocratique se manifeste, tantôt en négatif dans la figure du paysan, du Pierrot et de l’Arlequin, tantôt de manière idéalisée dans celles du berger et du héros galants. La substitution de gestes emphatiques et d’expressions faciales explicites par une gestuelle fondée sur la retenue et la dissimulation des passions, fondera une nouvelle historia moins lisible que la traditionnelle, mais plus subtile et insinuée, répondant ainsi mieux au goût et à la sensibilité aristocratique. / This thesis concerns the characteristic gestures and attitudes of the aristocratic figure in European art between 1661 and 1789. This period corresponds to the lifetime of a noble bodily ideal named “le bon air” and “la bonne grâce”, from its formulation at Louis XIV’s court and hegemonic propagation until its decline with the French Revolution. A panoply of means (exercises, orthopaedic instruments…) have been invented by the Ancien Régime society to embody a grace that should appear inborn and testify to noble birth. The dancing-master enjoyed the monopoly of inculcating this grace and elaborating it in accordance with highly aesthetic criteria. Most of the bon air and bonne grâce gestures and postures are here catalogued, described and associated with their original connotative values, showing that a deep and meticulous knowledge of body techniques can sharpen our understanding of a great proportion of Early Modern artworks. The author agues that this bodily habitus transcended every field concerned with the noble body (education, theatre, dance, opera, martial arts…) and came to infiltrate most pictorial genres, challenging age-old artistic traditions and imposing itself as a modern alternative to the grace of the Ancients. Portraiture, fashion plates, porcelain figurines, city and garden landscapes were the most affected by this phenomenon. Bonne grâce thus affirmed itself in a visual culture, which in return reinforced the very social practices that mirrored. The circular migration of aristocratic gestures between life and art caused a standardisation of both aristocratic body and figure. Within pastoral, history painting and genre scenes, the aristocratic ideal reveals itself antithetically in the figure of the peasant, the Pierrot and the Harlequin, and idealistically in those of the gallant shepherd and gallant hero. The substitution of emphatic gestures and strong facial expressions for ones based on restraint and dissimulation gave birth to a new historia that was less legible, but more subtle and suggestive, in accordance with aristocratic taste and sensibility.

Cette thèse porte sur la carrière musicale de Joseph Kohaut (1734–1777), l’un des derniers luthistes dans l’Europe des Lumières. Appartenant à la deuxième génération des musiciens originaires des pays de la couronne de Bohême, ce luthiste, né à Vienne et décédé à Paris, représente un cas intéressant de la migration des musiciens au XVIIIe siècle. L’étude se consacre à la présentation des origines et de la famille proche du musicien (son père Jacob Joseph Kohaut et son frère aîné Karl Kohaut), ainsi qu’à la carrière musicale du luthiste proprement dite. Le patronage aristocratique s’y révèle le moteur principal aussi pour son œuvre, y compris ses opéras comiques qui contribuèrent à la notoriété de Kohaut également en déhors de la France. Enfin, cette étude traite les œuvres des deux frères Kohaut en s’intéressant aux attributions douteuses et propose un catalogue thématique du corpus entier indexant toutes les sources connues. / This thesis focuses on the musical career of Joseph Kohaut (1734–1777), one of the last known lute players in Europe of the Enlightenment. Belonging to the second generation of the musicians originated from the Czech lands, this lutenist, born in Vienna and dead in Paris, represents an interesting case of the migration of musicians in the 18th century Europe. After having examinated the origines of the musician and his close family (his father Jacob Joseph Kohaut and his older brother Karl Kohaut), the study analyses his own musical career. The aristocratic patronage becomes apparent as an important reason for his musical production, including his comic operas that made him famous also outside France. Finally, this study addresses the compositions of both brothers Kohaut, taking interest in problematic attributions, and offers a thematic catalogue of all works registering their all known sources.

Although the natural philosophy of Margaret Cavendish is eclectic and uncustomary, it offers an important critique of contemporary scientific methods, especially mechanism and experimentalism. As presented in Observations upon Experimental Philosophy and Blazing World, Cavendish's natural philosophy incorporates rationalistic and subjective elements, urging contemporary natural philosophers to recognize that pure objectivity is unattainable through any method of inquiry and that reason is essential in making sense and use of scientific observation. In addition to its scientific implications, Cavendish's three-tiered model of matter presents interesting sociopolitical associations. Through her own use of metaphor and her theoretical fusion of matter and motion, Cavendish confronts the masculinist metaphors and implications of mechanism. Through the dramatization of her model of matter in the narrative Blazing World, Cavendish exposes the theoretical failings of contemporary methods and legitimizes her alternative to pure experimentalism. By envisioning a new planet to place the utopia of Blazing World, Cavendish actively uses the rational functions of the mind, showing that reason and rational matter are above all else in natural philosophy. Although Cavendish's scientific theory in some ways promotes the participation of women in natural philosophy, it becomes complicated as she simultaneously reinforces her social biases and urges a traditional class system with a monarchical government. Cavendish actively separates the gender constraints in philosophical inquiry from the social limitations placed on the lower classes to promote herself and other aristocratic women in the pursuit of natural philosophy, urging that the rational realm, where all sexes are equal, should govern scientific investigation.

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CASTLE LIBRARY OF OTTO JR. OF NOSTITZ IN JAWOR The library of Otto Jr. of Nostitz was founded in the beginning of the 1650's in the Lower Silesian castle Jawor. It consists approximately of 5 000 volumes and its structure as well as its history makes it unique and elevates the Jawor library among the most interesting book collections of early modern Europe. Shortly after death of its founder, the library was bought by Otto's brother Johann Hartwig of Nostitz and moved to the newly built palace in Malá Strana in Prague where it laid the foundations of the new family library of the house of Nostitz. The library is placed in two rooms on the second floor till today. The thesis tries to introduce the personality of the founder of the Jawor library Otto Jr. of Nostitz, his tastes in the book purchase as well as the topical structure of his book collection and its future fates. Notwithstanding, the main point of the doctor thesis is to present the issues of the thorough provenance research of the oldest part of the library. The terminus ante quem for the year of edition of the books relevant for the provenance research marks out the death of Otto Jr. in the year 1665. The most recent and complete catalogue of the Nostitz library in the present use dates back to the 19th century and shows remarkable leaks and...