The ensemble takes its name from the manuscript now known as the Concerts à Deux Violes Esgales du Sieur de Sainte Colombe which bears the inscription A 2 Violes Esgales, is the name given to a 17th-century manuscript of music for two bass viola da gambas by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe found in Alfred Cortot's music library that was transferred to the Bibliothèque Nationale in the 1960s.
This ensemble is named after a 17th-century manuscript of music, originally titled "Concerts à Deux Violes Esgales du Sieur de Sainte Colombe," which pertains to compositions for two bass viola da gambas by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe.