Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België

The Royal Library of Belgium is the national scientific library of the Federal State of Belgium. The Music Department (established in 1837) comprises 2.1 kilometres of material. The two most extensive collections of early music in the department are the world famous Fétis Library and the Sint-Goedele Music Fund. The F.-J. Fétis (1784-1871) library contains circa 8.000 documents: from a 12th-century Clunisian Graduel, originating from an Auvergne church, to an autographed manuscript by J.S. Bach. The Sint-Goedele Music Fund consists of approximately 1.000 manuscripts from the 17th- and 18th- century music library of the Sint-Goedele Church of Brussels (now Sint-Michiels Cathedral). It concerns religious music including the work of the choirmasters themselves: Bréhy, Fiocco and Van Helmont. The Manuscript Cabinet and the Precious Works Department of the Royal Library also contain 12th- to 18th-century music material from early funds with, amongst others, collections from the Austrian Empire and from the libraries of monasteries.