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Dudok Quartet
featuring
the Lefèbvre viola

The Musical Instrument Fund has purchased an old Dutch viola for Marie-Louise de Jong, the violist of the Dudok Quartet. We were unable to assist her with instruments from our existing collection, but just at that moment, a rare and beautiful Lefèbvre viola came our way. The instrument was presented to her this month; with this addition, the Dudok Quartet now has four magnificent instruments on loan from the Musical Instrument Fund.

News
28 February 2020 by Katrien Kloos

Viola

A Jean Baptiste Lefèbvre viola from Amsterdam, circa 1760, came to the attention of the Musical Instrument Fund in 2019. The timing was remarkable because the Musical Instrument Fund had a candidate on its waiting list, Marie-Louise, for whom no solution seemed to be available from the existing collection. When Marie-Louise got her hands on this Old Dutch gem to try it out, she immediately felt a connection.

Dudok Quartet

What followed was over a month of trial and error and sound tests with her quartet members, during which other high-quality violas were also brought in for comparison. The Lefèbvre proved to be the ideal partner in every respect, both for Marie-Louise and for the entire Dudok Quartet. Experts unanimously agreed that it was a rare and beautiful viola, unique in its kind due to its substantial size (for that time). With this purchase, the Musical Instrument Fund achieves two goals: helping yet another musician find a suitable instrument and preserving a magnificent piece of cultural heritage for Dutch musical life.

Listen Live

The Dudok Quartet currently plays a rich collection of instruments from the Musical Instrument Fund: a Goffriller violin, a Panormo violin, a Lefèbvre viola, and a Vuillaume cello. Would you like to hear these instruments performed live? On March 8, 2020, they will perform works by Haydn and Brahms at TivoliVredenburg. But be sure to check out the calendar on their website as well!

Photo © Marco Borggreve