The King Baudouin Foundation has acquired the personal archive of Henry and Louise Le Bœuf thanks to the Marie-Jeanne Dauchy Fund, on the joint initiative of Bozar and KBR. This acquisition fits perfectly with the Fund’s mission and commitment to Brussels cultural heritage. The documents have now been entrusted to KBR for their conservation, study and promotion.
A window onto Belgian musical history
Among many other documents, this archive includes Henry Le Bœuf’s (1874-1935) extensive correspondence with his wife Louise, as well as letters he received from other artists and his friend Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians. There are also handwritten comments on the scores, some of which were published, others unpublished, various iconographic documents and an album created to mark an event held in honour of Henry Le Bœuf, on May 2, 1926 in the Foyer of La Monnaie. In this album, there are the signatures of subscribers to the Henry Le Bœuf Foundation, created to mark this occasion, as well as signed letters from famous composers such as Paul Dukas, Joseph Jongen, Darius Milhaud, Maurice Ravel, Serge Prokofiev, Francis Poulenc and Arthur Honegger.
Henry Le Bœuf
It is no accident that the name of this famous Brussels celebrity is now associated with the large concert hall at the Bozar, where the finals of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition are held. A lawyer by training, but music lover and pianist in his spare time, Henry Le Bœuf was a music critic for (and in some instances founder of) various institutions, including the Dispensaire des Artistes (1915) and the Supervisory Commission of the Royal Brussels Music Conservatory (1919). In 1919, Le Bœuf took over the management of the Société des Concerts Populaires, where he created the César Franck Chorale in 1922. He was a founder member of the Brussels Palais des Beaux-Arts (PBA) from 1922, where he became a leading figure and Managing Director until his death in 1935. Le Bœuf also founded the Philharmonic Society there in 1927.
Collaboration between the KBF, KBR and Bozar
This exceptional acquisition offers new understanding of Belgian cultural history from the end of the 19th century up until the eve of World War II. It also enables us to revisit the creation and beginnings of the PBA-Bozar and associated organisations (mainly the Philharmonic Society), as well as the Belgian National Orchestra. Furthermore, the archive provides us with an opportunity to continue to nourish the collaboration that began in 2023 between KBR and Bozar regarding the Henry Le Bœuf Foundation music library. Understanding the history of this library, which has already led to unpublished scores being unearthed, can thus continue.
The Marie-Jeanne Dauchy Fund’s mission
Thanks to the Marie-Jeanne Dauchy Fund, the personal archive of Henry and Louise Le Bœuf will be preserved and accessible to everyone at KBR. This acquisition is perfectly in line with the Fund’s mission to safeguard, protect, restore and promote Brussels cultural heritage.
