June 2025
Fig.1
High treble viol (quinton), Hilaire Darche, 1913, inv. 3509
Fig.2
Viola d’amore, Hilaire Darche, 1913, inv. 3510
Fig.3
Viola da gamba, Hilaire Darche, 1913, inv. 3511
Fig.4
Violone, Hilaire Darche, 1913, inv. 3512
The tschaggeny quartet - a unique collection of string instruments
In 1922, the MIM received a generous donation of stringed instruments and bows from the collection of violinist Ernest Tschaggeny. Among these was a remarkable quartet built by the Belgian luthier Hilaire Darche, consisting of a quinton, viola d’amore, viola da gamba, and violone.
“This quartet was built by Mr. Hilaire Darche, luthier of the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles at the request of Mr Ernest Tschaggeny who by his profound knowledge and erudition in lutherie created the plans, the precise drawings as well as the necessary calculations for this delicate work for these instruments some of which have disappeared today.”
A historical approach to early music
The four instruments (MIM-3509 to MIM-3512, fig. 1 to 4) do not constitute what we would now call a consort. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ensembles performing arrangements of Renaissance and Baroque music on historical instruments - such as the Société des instruments anciens, founded in 1895 - often used mixed instrumentations. These included viola d’amore, viola da gamba, hurdy-gurdy, and harpsichord. This practice was especially common in France and was continued by professors at the Brussels Conservatoire.
Several recordings of these ensembles exist, including one by the Société des instruments anciens (1930) and another by the American Society of Ancient Instruments (1934).
Instruments made to be played
The Tschaggeny quartet was intended for use in performances at the Brussels Conservatoire and is unique in the MIM collection: the donation specified that the instruments could be removed from the museum for concerts.
Two of the instruments are currently on display: the quinton (MIM-3509, fig. 1) and the viola da gamba (MIM-3511, fig. 3). The viola da gamba features an unusual addition—sympathetic strings—possibly inspired by instruments from the Auguste Tolbecque collection, also housed at the MIM.
All four instruments are topped with carved heads on their pegboxes: a male head on the violone, a female on the viola da gamba, a young girl on the viola d’amore, and a child on the quinton. Perhaps they form a kind of Tschaggeny family portrait?
Accompanying the instruments is a letter written by Ernest Tschaggeny’s brother, the painter Frédéric Tschaggeny, informing the MIM of the donation.
Text: Richard Sutcliffe
Collection Tschaggeny