Eugène YSAŸE (1858-1931)
Sonata for two violins dedicated to Queen Elisabeth
(« Stradivarius » et « Guarnerius »), 1915
Autograph score on paper
27 x 35.5 cm
Coll. KBR, inv. Mus. Ms. 4184/2
In 2026, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Queen Elisabeth Competition and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. The Queen and the competition have left their mark on Belgian musical life. Bpost presents for this double occasion a stamp, with the portrait of Queen Elisabeth holding her violin, with in the background a fragment of the autograph score of the Sonata with two violins of Eugène Ysaÿe, a work dedicated to the Queen, which is part of the collection of KBR, and which is presented here in the exhibition.
The Eugène Ysaÿe collection of the KBR Music Section, which brings together four decades of purchases and several donations from the Ysaÿe family, includes around 700 letters and musical manuscripts, more than a thousand printed scores and books, films, recordings and an abundant iconography.
