Archives of the Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles

Collection description

Holding institution (official language):: Archives de l’État à Bruxelles (Anderlecht)

Web address:: http://www.arch.be/index.php?l=fr&m=en-pratique&r=nos-salles-de-lecture&d=anderlecht

Title (official language):: Archives du Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles

Creator/accumulator:: Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles; Koninklijk Muziekconservatorium te Brussel

Scope and content:: This fonds consists of correspondence; individual files of teachers, musicians, and staff members; material related to scholarships offered to students; awards; concerts etc. Of particular interest are the nos. 323-347, containing documents related to applications of foreign students for admission to the Conservatoire and for exemption from payment of the tuition fees. Among these students we find numerous Jewish students from Russia, Central and Eastern Europe. They are mentioned by name in the inventory, arranged by the year of application (1876-1928). Searching by family name is possible by means of the index at the back of the inventory.

Archival history:: This fonds does not contain material dated later than 1931. The fonds is incomplete, and includes almost no documents from the years 1835-1875 (the years in which F.-J. Fétis was the director).

Administrative/biographical history:: The Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles (Royal Conservatory of Brussels) is, with that of Liège, one of the oldest state conservatories in Belgium. The conservatories of Ghent, Antwerp and Mons were created respectively in 1871, 1898 and 1948. In the 1930s the Conservatory of Brussels had nearly 600 students. In 1876 it relocated to the rue de la Régence. In 1966 the Conservatory was divided into two parts, one French-speaking, the other Dutch-speaking, each with its own director, secretariat and administration. (E. Vandewoude, Inventaris van het archief van het Koninklijk Muziekconservatorium te Brussel (1832-1834, 1876-1931), T 297, Bruxelles, ARA-AGR, 1995.)

Subject terms:: Education; Education--Students; Education--Teachers and professors; Music; Music--Musicians

Finding aids:: E. Vandewoude, Inventaris van het archief van het Koninklijk Muziekconservatorium te Brussel (1832-1834, 1876-1931), T 297, Bruxelles, ARA-AGR, 1995.