Just now, Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon handed over an exceptional masterpiece to general director Bart Demuyt during the meeting of the European Ministers for Culture in the framework of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Flemish Community has acquired a unique sketch by Ludwig van Beethoven, which the Alamire Foundation will add to its collection. It concerns a draft of the fourth movement from Beethoven's first sonata (Op. 2, N.1) in the composer's original handwriting. 

The Alamire Foundation is pleased to be able to house this extraordinary musical heritage in its collection in the Library of Voices. It houses a collection of manuscripts and prints, including the Leuven Chansonnier, a fifteenth-century songbook recognized as a Masterpiece by the Flemish Government. All the pieces in the collection contribute to the Alamire Foundation's research into music that was produced in the Low Countries, circulated there, or otherwise has a historical connection to it.