Poland: Holy Trinity, Gdansk

 

Poland continued its Historic Organs series in 2018 with a stamp showing the instrument in Holy Trinity, Gdansk. The first mention of an organ here seems to be from the early 1600's, an instrument by Merten Freise. Freise himself continued to work on the instrument for many years. It received significant attention in the mid-1700's by Friedrich Dalitz. The instrument was stored away from the church during World War II. Work to restore the organ began in 2008 and was completed in 2018.

The stamp is embossed, such that one can feel elements of the design, in addition to the visual representation. As with other stamps in this series, the format is large, a 10x7cm mini-sheet format containing a single 8x5 stamp. 

 My friend Mark Jameson has prepared a detailed summary of the instrument, including a specification. One may view it here.

 

 

Alderney (UK): Christmas

Alderney issued this set of stamps in 2017 for Christmas. The stamps reference the carol, "The Holly and the Ivy," and illustrate the song. The stamps include a mix of outdoor and indoor scenes. The 73p stamp shows stylized organ pipes, similarly stylized keyboards, and music. The border of the stamp includes the relevant lyric, "...the playing of the merry organ.

France: Mechanical Instrument Museum

Les Gets is a city in western France surrounded, peninsula-like, by Switzerland. There is a museum of mechanical musical instruments there.  The cachet on this cover commemorates that museum. The cachet shows a figure holding one the more important holdings at the museum, a portativ organ. There is also some scenery from the area. This is a piece of postal stationary: the postage is printed on the envelop, rather than the user having to apply postage. The image on the stamp is the "Marianne" rendering first used in 1997 (with "La Poste" in the LL corner) and redrawn in 2003 with RF in that corner. The cover is non-denominated, so it could be sold for a longer period of time despite rate changes. Scott catalogs do not list foreign postal stationary so I do not have a number for this item. Presumably the museum purchased a quantity of the envelops and had their cachet added, and then sold them in their boutique/store at the museum.

Austria: Millstatt Organ Music Week

The town of Millstatt, Austria is probably best known for its Abbey. The Abbey in turn is highly regarded for its emphasis on arts appreciation and music appreciation. Since 1981 it has sponsored a series of music weeks including an Orgelmusikwochen. This cover includes a postmark that celebrates the organ music week in 1981. The postmark includes a row of organ pipes. One of the instruments available for concerts in Millstatt is an 18th century "chororgel." A section of its facade may have been the inspiration for the postmark's design. The abbey church's construction was begun in the 12th century; the onion domes were completed in 1670. The stamp itself is fairly common, from a series issued 1973-1978. This one (Scott 963) shows the Bishofmuetze area near Salzburg.

France: Daumier painting

The date of this cover is 23 March 1967. The stamps are fairly common for the era, and the postmark is unremarkable. The cachet, however features a positif organ in a painting by Honore Daumier. The reverse of the cover has this to say about Daumier and the painting.

Honore Daumier est ne a marseille ie 26 fevrier 1803. Son pere etait vitrier mais, so croyant poete, il abandonne en 1814 sa boutique pour monter a Paris. Deux ans plus tard, il fait venir sa femme et son fils. A 13 ans honore travaille chez un huissier puis devient commis dans une librairie du Palais Royal. Mais il est instable et prefere le dessin. Il parcourt le sues de paris, frequente les artistes de l'epoque et s'enflamme pour les idees republicans. En 1830 Louis Philippe prend le pouvoir et Daumier commence ses dessins satiriques. Il fait un Gargantua representant Louis Philippe gave et distribuant autour de lui des profits et des decorations. Cela lui rapporte 300 francs d'amende et six moin de prison. En 1835 les lois deseptembre, severes pour la presse, l'obligent a suspendre ses dessins politiques et a produire quantite de lithos "sujets de moeurs," pour pouvoir vivre. En 1845 il s'installe dans l'ile Saint-Louise, se met a peindre et a sculpter. Puis, en 1865, a Montmartre, il continue a dessiner pour la presse mais, mal pae, vit peniblement. A 65 ans, il loue une maiconnette a Valmondoins, Menace de padre la vue, il se troupe dans une situation difficile. C'est grace a la generosite de ses amis qu'il peut demeurer dans son lieu de repli. (Corot avait achete la maison et lui en avait fait cadeau pour sa fete.) En 1877 le gouvernement lui accorde une pension de 100 frances par mois, portee a 200 frances l'annee suivante. Daumier neurt a valmondoi . Son corps est transfere au Pere Lachaise en avril. Le timbre reproduit une peinture datant de 1860 set se trouvant au Musee du Louvre. On connait de lui d'innombrables lithographies et peintures, dans de nombreux musees du monde.

Honore Daumier was born in Marseille on February 26, 1803. His father was a glazier but, being a poet, he left his shop in 1814 to go to Paris. Two years later, he brings his wife and son. A 13-year-old honore works at a bailiff and then becomes a clerk in a bookstore in the Royal Palace. But he is unstable and prefers drawing. He travels the sweats of Paris, frequents the artists of the time and ignites for the republican ideas. In 1830 Louis Philippe took power and Daumier began his satirical drawings. He makes a Gargantua representing Louis Philippe gave and distributing around him profits and decorations. That brings him a fine of 300 francs and six months of imprisonment. In 1835 the laws of September, severe for the press, forced him to suspend his political drawings and to produce a quantity of lithos "subjects of morals," to be able to live. In 1845 he moved to Ile Saint-Louise, began to paint and carve. Then, in 1865, in Montmartre, he continues to draw for the press but, badly, lives painfully. At the age of 65, he rents a scrap at Valmondoins, threatens his view, he finds himself in a difficult situation. It is thanks to the generosity of his friends that he can remain in his place of withdrawal. (Corot bought the house and gave it to him for his birthday.) In 1877 the government gave him a pension of 100 francs a month, raised to 200 francs the following year. Daumier neurt a valmondoi. His body is transferred to Pere Lachaise in April. The stamp reproduces a painting dating from 1860 set at the Louvre Museum. He is known for countless lithographs and paintings in many museums around the world.

Most sources indicate Daumier painted "The organ player of Barbary" around 1864-1865. The painting is now in the possession of the Musee Petit-Palais in Paris, France. 

The "arms of Auch" stamp (Scott 1142) was issued in 1966. The Marianne type stamp (Scott 653) was issued in 1951. So it would seem the date of the cover is not related to the issuance of either stamp. Above the cachet the the FDC indication along with "No. 586 Historique FDC. And overprinted atop that is the single word, "Imprime." A circular red mark at the bottom of the cover reiterates that same information with what may be the printer's insignia; it's not quite legible to me. The date of the postmark seems to correlate to neither the painter's birth nor death dates. So the "why" of this cover remains a bit of a mystery to me. My cover was a gift from Mark Jameson who for several years has been associated with the Berkshire Organ Club, which explains that notation on the reverse. It would seem that at some point it passed through the hands of the Empire Philatelic shop in Paris.

France: St Jean de Moirans

This envelop specifies that it is "philatelic correspondence," probably to let postal workers know to treat it carefully. Probably it is merely the postmark which the sender wanted to conserve through the postal journey. The stamp is Scott 2664, issued 13 June 1998, for a National Music Festival. It was the Europa theme for that year. As such it is at least tangentially related to the postmark. The instrument in St Jean de Moirans was installed in 1978 by Xavier Silbermann. The same builder added stops to the pedal division in 1981 which completed the instrument. It is small, a mere 713 pipes.  This site gives the specification and a few more photographs. Finally this site also discusses this little instrument. This one notes a need for restoration work on the organ, and a fund that has been set up for the project. Without more information it would seem the postmark is simply to promote a series of concerts on the organ scheduled for 18 June 1998. Moirans, France is in the former Rhone-Alpes department of France, near the Swiss and Italian borders. At a little less than 8000 residents, the population is similar to the town where I currently live!

I recently came across this envelop as I was doing some more cataloging of my collection. It shows a pretty view of the church in the cachet. The postmark shows the organ and some pipes, though it is faint.

Germany: Schnitger Organ, Hamburg

I have written about this stamp here. This item is a first day cover for the stamp, issued 16 November 1989. As is the case with several other countries, there are two impressions of the FDC postmark: one cancels the stamp to a greater or lesser extent; the second is in a blank space on the envelop so one can clearly see the cancel. It is also interesting to note that German FDCs are numbered; my copy is #10753.

Italy: Valvasone, 2

This cover was produced September 15, 1974, and seems to celebrate the "return to service" of the organ in the Duomo in Valvasone, Italy. I have written about this organ in a previous post, for a different cover. That cover marked the 30th anniversary of the 1970's restoration. This cover is contemporaneous with the restoration. The cover uses a stamp (Scott 1149) issued to commemorate athletic games in Rome (28 June 1974). It is not a first day cover, simply a postcard with a special postmark. The Italian in the postmark reads:


manifestazione inaugurale restauro organ servizi distacati
inaugural event restoration of organ services

This site gives some information on the duomo and the organ. The Italian version includes some pictures. The instrument has been recorded in 2003, and thus includes all of the restoration work of which I am aware.  

The back of this postcard includes a photograph of a woman holding flowers in front of a depiction on the Madonna and child. No information about the photo is included on the card. The only other word on the card is "rotante" which means, enigmatically, means "rotating."

 

Italy: Palestrina

In 1975 Italy issued a single stamp to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the birth of the musician Pierluigi da Palestrina. Scott 1195 describes him as a "composer of sacred music." Indeed he was. His influence of musical art cannot be overestimated. The stamp shows the composer with a book of music, and his dates (died 1594). the postmark is text plus a posthorn. The cachet on my cover shows a portrait of the composer along with a representation of an organ: two keyboards (with many, many notes!) and a row of pipes. Palestrina's career carried him around Italy with stints at the Vatican in Rome. He is known for his sacred choral and instrumental works more than his secular pieces, but all of it demonstrates his mastery of polyphony and counterpoint.

France: Saint Jacques, Luneville

The stamp on this First Day Cover is one of two that were part of a mini-sheet issued in 2012. I discussed the sheet here. The cover here includes the 1.45 Euro stamp. The postmark shows one of the violin-playing putti that adorn the organ. The cachet is a close-up of the statuary of the organ.

France: Arles sur Tech

The remarkable aspect of this cover is the postmark. Arles sur Tech, France is home to the Abbey of Saint Mary. Contained therein is an organ dating from the mid-1700's by Godefroy Schmidt. It has been cared for over the years and according to this site substantial work was done in 1989-1990. Bernard Cattiaux' site describes the work as

1990 : ARLES SUR TECH (66) Restauration : Schmidt 1750 : III/P 24 jeux

Further work was done in 1998, after the date of the present cover. This cover includes a rather common stamp of the era (Scott 2196), the Marianne type of 1990-1992. The whole thing is unremarkable save for the postmark. It shows a representation of the Abbey organ and the date. One wonders about the text, "Abbatiale XIe..." I am not sure enough of French idiom to know what "eleven" refers to.  A stoplist is included in the page at the first link above.

Romania: Daniel Croner, music day

This envelop is rather unremarkable save for the postmark. And it is somewhat blurry. It seems the Music Lovers Circle of the Romanian Philatelic Society was busy in 1990, as this cover looks much like others they prepared that year. Their name does not appear on this cover, but the looks is strikingly familiar.

ziua internationala a muzicii (the international day of music)

October 1 1990

The line above Croner's name is blurred but a couple of the words seem to read composition/composer and organist. His dates are given 1655-1740. I have never heard of Croner before, but was able to find a couple of websites that had information about him and his compositions

http://www.musicstamps.com/mjoomla/index.php/c/1285-croner-daniel

A review of a recording that includes some of his works:
http://pamelahickmansblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/romanian-organist-and-harpsichordist.html
Daniel Croner (1656-1740), apparently a native of Kronstadt (now Brasov, Romania), a theologian and composer of organ music, completed four books of organ tablatures. A scribe, he was known to have spent four years copying works from the Brasov manuscript, mostly for his own use and for the Lutheran service. The Magnificat 8 toni, from the Brasov manuscript, consists of five verses, based on a traditional cantus firmus, probably originally alternating with sung chant. In four of them, the cantus is presented in long note values in the pedals, with the two manuals creating contrapuntal lines boasting much imitation. Garai’s playing offered an informed glimpse into the articulate and imaginative style of German pre-Bach organ composition, conservative and unpretentious in nature, yet innovative and certainly not lacking in dissonance.

A concert performer comments on some of the works he performs, including b Croner:
http://regizene.ro/html/2017/en/index.php/artist/fazakaz-adam-sandor-ro/
Daniel Croner, born in Brașov, was a Transylvanian Saxon composer, organist and theologian. His legacy includes several manuscripts which contain shorter pieces, such as the three compositions included in the programme: a toccata in the South German style, a bicinium-adaptation of the chorale “Ich ruf zu dir Herr Jesu Christ” (“I call to you, Lord Jesus Christ“), a fugue for four voices.

https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n90622695/
Since I had not heard of him before, I was curious if Croner had any organ music available. A WorldCat search revealed some possibilities. I have requested on title from Duke University.

Daniel Croner has an association with the Marienkirche or Schwarze Kirche (Black Church) in Kronstadt. The facade of the current instrument, by Buchholz in the late 1800's (itself the subject of a Romanian stamp in recent years) is not that shown in the postmark above. There was, however, an instrument prior to this which may be the basis for the postmark. This article gives a great deal of information about the organs' history at this church.

 

The stamp on the cover is a very common 1.50 lei stamp from the 1982 "Popular Arts" (folk art) series, showing a (rather ornate) wooden scoop. Scott #3104

Romania: Rupea organ

This cover shows an organ facade in the postmark, and also includes a full-color cachet of the same instrument. The cover was postmarked October 1, 2001 in Rupea, Romania.

ForumArte Romania 

was born out of a desire to contribute to the promotion and diversification of the cultural life of the Braşov area, to the awareness of the integrating role of the culture for the city and its people. Through creative impulses and novel events, the foundation aims to combine traditions with contemporary. Three key elements define the work of the Foundation: Education, Music and Heritage.
 
Their site has a fairly detailed discussion of the Rupea organ along with several helpful photographs. It would seem that the church in which the organ is located underwent renovations beginning in 2005. By 2008 the organ was re-installed in a second church and work undertaken upon it. It was then that an inscription was found within the instrument, dating it to at least 1699. It is believed the original organ was built by Zackarias of Crit. The restoration was done by S.C. Construcţii Orgi şi Tâmplărie S.R.L. The latter's site gives some nicely detailed photos and a stoplist. Work was completed in 2012 at the instrument was re-installed in its original location, on its own rather substantial platform. The article tells us there are a scant 12 registers, making it s fairly small instrument. The postmark and cover seem to simply commemorate the 275th anniversary of the organ 1726 apparently being the year it was installed in this particular setting, on its dedicated gallery near the chancel arch. Who knows if this recognition might have goaded certain powers to undertake the restoration work begun in 2005.

The stamp on this cover shows the first electric tram in Romania, dating from 1896. The original stamp was issued with a denomination of 1615 lei in 1995 (Scott 4060). However this stamp has been surcharged to 2500 lei. The surcharged stamp (Scott 4477) was issued in 2001, in an era of hyper-inflaation. 

Romania: Fall Music Festival

This cover shows a fairly common, regular issue stamp from Romania. However, the postmark is remarkable. Cluj-Napoca is apparently a fairly important city in the Transylvania part of Romania. They had in 1996 a fall music festival, which is the point of reference for the postmark. The festival began in 1965. It is known for the shear number of music events, and the span of musical eras represented, from early music to contemporary. Apparently, at least in 1996, Bach and the pipe organ featured to some degree. The 2017 edition of the festival was the 51st, and it now ranks as the largest such event in Romania. I have not been able to find mention of a specific organ used for festival concerts, so I cannot determine if the pipes shown in the postmark are from a specific instrument, or are rather an artistic representation. My cover was a gift from Mark Jameson. The stamp on the cover is a very common specimen from the large "hotels, lodges, and resorts" set begun in 1991. The present, violet-colored stamp (Scott 3667) shows the Lebada Hotel in Crisan, a town known for its tourism.

Romania: Madrigal Choral Ensemble

This cover is distinguished by the presence of an organ in the cachet/illustration, and in the postmark. The cover seems to have been produced by the Music-Lovers Study Circle of the Bucharest Philatelic Association. The postmark includes the dates 1965 and 1 October 1990. I am supposing that the cover was issued on the latter date. The cover celebrates the national choir of Romania, the National Chamber Choir. The ensemble was established in 1965 (or rather 1963 according to their website. The founding conductor was Constantine Marin. The cover marks the 25th anniversary of the choir.

The stamp on the cover is Romania Scott 3619, issued September 8, 1990, marking the Romanian-Chinese Philatelic Exhibition in Bucharest. No connection to the musical aspects of the cover other than the proximate dates of production/issue. The cover illustration shows a somewhat dated picture of the choral ensemble (notice the television camera at right) in their primary performance space, the George Enescu Hall in the Bucharest Athenaeum. That hall got commemorated in 2017 with its own mini-sheet of stamps that I have written about here. George Enescu instigated the building of the organ which was completed in 1939. This cover was a gift from Mark Jameson.

Here is the text included on the cover and a rough translation:
asociatia filatelistilor bucuresti
cercul bucur grupa muzica
corul madrigal
dirijor marin constantin
ziua internationala muzicii
25 ani de la debutul international al corului


the philatelist association bucharest
circle enjoy group music
the madrigal choir
conductor marine constantin
the international day of music
25 years since the international debut of the choir

Poland: Koszalin Music Festival

Koszalin is a town in central Pomerania. It along with seven other towns hosts an international organ festival each year. Concerts of organ music, various chamber ensembles, and choral music make up the event each summer. The 52nd series was held in 2018. This card was issued to mark the event in 1972. The postcard stamp image shows a sailboat, definitely not organ-related. But the postmark includes a row of organ pipes. The card appears to have been issued in 1971, and cancelled to promote the music festival the following summer. Address details make up the obverse; my copy is in mint condition, so it's blank on the reverse. This was a gift from Mark Jameson.

Poland: Kamien Pomorski Music Festival

This postcard shows the Pomeranian Dukes Castle in Szczecin, Poland. Below is some of the text on the card the a translation.

ochrona zabytkow
baszta siedmiu peaszczy XIII w.
zamek ksiazat pomorskich

protection of monuments
Szczecin: bastion of seven coats 13th cent.
Pomeranian Dukes' Castle

The castle dates from the 13th century.

What makes the card interesting to me is the commemorative postmark, celebrating the beginning of the International Organ and Chamber Music Festival in Kamien Pomorski. The medallion in the center of the postmark shows organ pipes in the UR corner. The postmark is dated 17 June 1977. So the card was issued (as part of a series highlighting the need to protect national monuments) to mark the Duke's Castle in Szczecin, and the music festival in nearby Kamien added a fancy postmark to celebrate the music festival in 1977. Text running in the middle of the card would indicate the card was issued by Polish Post that same year, 1977 (a print run of one-million copies, perhaps?). The reverse of this card has a couple of pencil markings made by the dealer selling it, but otherwise the card is blank. It was a gift from Mark Jameson.

 Cathedral organ, Kamien Pomorski

Poland: Organ Chamber Music Festival

This card was issued to mark the Miedzynarodowy Festiwal Muzyki Organowej Kameralnej w Kamieniu Pomorskim (International Organ and Chamber Music Festival in Kamień Pomorskie) in Poland. The only date I can find on the card is 2005, so I am guessing that it was issued that year. Kamien Pomoski is in the northwest region of Poland on the Baltic Coast. A Roman Catholic co-cathedral serves the region. The St John the Baptist Cathedral serves as the locale for the music festival.

This site provides some information about the music festival and give a bit of information about the organ in the cathedral.

In the years 1669-1672, the monumental organs were built in the Kamienna shrine from the foundation of Pomeranian prince Ernest Bogusław Croy. They belong to the most famous in Poland. The wonderful sound of this extraordinary instrument (47 voices and 3300 pipes) can be heard during the annual International Festival of Organ and Chamber Music, organized throughout the summer. The concerts start at 19.00 always on Fridays, starting from the last Friday of June to the first Friday of September.

The cathedrals website gives just a bit more information about the organ.


1669-1672 Construction of present organs according to Breyer's instructions from Stargard, then built by M. Berigel, repaired in the early 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. A new instrument built in 1888 by B. Gruneberg from Szczecin, keeping the baroque prospectus.

I have not been able to to find a stoplist anywhere yet. The card shows hands playing an instrument with more than one keyboard, representing an organ. There are no pipes nor any other content on the card. The reverse in black, presumably for the card-writer's message. This card was a gift from my friend in Great Britain, Mark Jameson.



 

Monaco: Salle Garnier

Monaco issued a set of six stamps in 1979 celebrating the 100th anniversary of their opera house, the Salle Garnier. Five of the stamps show scenes from various operas produced in the theater. The sixth (Scott 1172) shows a painting which is above the stage. The painting shows various musical instruments and players. Among them is an organ and organist. It wasn't until I was examining the image on the card that I looked more closely at the stamps and discovered the organ tie-in on this particular stamp. What a find! This is a first day of issue card. The image printed on the card replicates the painting: the organists and pipes are quite clear. With the postcard and stamp images in mind, one can just barely discern the details in the photos below. I couldn't find any images that showed the instruments, let alone the organ, any more clearly.

Niger: Handel homage, 2015

 

The African nation, Niger, issued a mini-sheet of 4 stamps in 2015 honoring George Frederick Handel. The four stamps each include a  different portrait of the composer and a varying background. Three of the four stamps identify the background as representative of UR: the opera Ottone; LL, the opera Orlando; LR, the oratorio Messiah. The UL stamp show an unidentified pipe organ facade. Not knowing all the instruments associated with Handel all that well, I cannot identify the organ shown. Indeed, it may be an artist's rendering of a generic instrument. The selvage shows yet another image of the composer, at work on the score of Messiah. My copy of the mini-sheet is unused, a gift from Mark Jameson.