2 euro Belgium 2012, 75th Anniversary of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition

2 Euro Commemorative Coins Belgium 2012 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition





Belgian commemorative 2 euro coins 2012 - The 75th anniversary of Queen Elisabeth Competition


Commemorative 2 euro coins from Belgium

Description: The inner part of the coin depicts the emblem of the Queen Elisabeth Competition superimposed on the effigy of Queen Elisabeth, looking to the left, flanked on the left and right respectively by the mark of the mint master and the mark of the Brussels mint, a helmeted profile of the Archangel Michael. The years 1937-2012 are inscribed above the effigy, and the words ‘QUEEN ELISABETH COMPETITION’ below it. The nationality ‘BE’ is indicated to the right of the portrait of the Queen. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.



Reverse: left from the coin centre face value: 2, on the right inscription: EURO; in the background of the inscription a map of Europe; in the background of the map vertically six parallel lines ending on both sides with five-pointed stars (the reverse is common for all euro coins)

Issuing volume: 5 million coins
Date of issue:   6 June 2012
Face value:       2 euro
Diameter:         25.75 mm
Thickness:        2.2 mm
Weight:             8.5 gr
Composition: BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring Cupronickel (75% copper - 25% nickel clad on nickel core), center Nickel brass

€2 Edge Inscription: The Belgian €2 coin edge inscription is '2', followed by two stars, repeated six times alternately upright and inverted.
Mint Location: Monnaie Royale de Belgique/Koninklijke Munt van België (Royal Mint of Belgium), in Brussels, Belgium.
Mint Marks: Mintmark of the Royal Mint of Belgium: the head of Archangel Michael with a cross on top. Located at the bottom left of the main design theme, inner circle.
National Identification: Abbreviation: 'BE'; Belgium.

Queen Elisabeth Music Competition

The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (1957) has been, since its foundation, considered over the world to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin (since 1937), piano (since 1938), to composition (since 1953) and to singing (since 1988). Held in Brussels, the Competition is named after Queen Elisabeth of Belgium.

Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian concert-violinist, had wanted to set up an international music competition for young virtuosi showcasing their all-round skill, but died before he could do so. Queen Elisabeth, patroness of the arts and good friend of Ysaÿe, set up the competition in his memory in 1937. The prestige of Ysaÿe and Belgium's Royal Court (King Albert and Queen Elisabeth were admired heroes of the First World War) assured that the first competition would draw great entrants.

The Soviet school was the resounding winner in 1937 as David Oistrakh took first prize. In 1938, the competition was dedicated to piano; Emil Gilels won, and again, the Soviet school was victorious.
The competition did not resume until 1951; World War II and several royal scandals prevented the competition from taking place. In 1951, the competition was renamed for its patroness, Queen Elisabeth, and has taken place under that name since then.
Entrants are expected to learn a compulsory work written especially for the competition. (The work is picked during the composition competition.) Usually there is also a section where contestants are expected to perform a work by a Belgian composer.
From 1963 to 1980, Marcel Poot of the Brussels Conservatory chaired the jury of the competition and wrote several commissioned works to mark the occasion, that were used as competition-required pieces.

The Queen Elisabeth Competition generates income from its own activities, from private patronage and from sponsoring. Resources are varied: part of the funding for the prizes laureates receive is provided by public authorities and patrons, corporate sponsors, donors contributions, ticket and programme sales, advertising in the programmes and the sale of recordings. The Competition also benefits from the volunteer assistance of families who open their homes to candidates for the duration of the competition.