Romania: Concert Hall

Romania issued this mini-sheet in 2011. It comes after the scope of my Scott catalog, so I don't have a catalog number. There are three stamps in the sheet. The top one depicts Enescu as conductor; the second a musical score; and the bottom stamp shows the exterior of the concert hall facility. The stamps include a "tab" which can be separated from the stamp itself. Each tab shows a picture of Enescu at three ages during his lifetime. The selvage shows the interior of Enescu concert hall, including the state and the organ at the rear. The mini-sheet was issued to commemorate the 20th Enescu International Festival and Competition in 2011.

I found this information at Hans Timmerman's site:

Rechts onder het Walcker-Orgel in de muziekzaal van het Atheneum in Bukarest
Gebouwd in 1939,Opus 2654,III/P 52 registers en 4 transmissies SW-Ped
In 1964 uitgebreid met 2 registers in SW.
De laatste restauratie was in 2007 en uitgevoerd door Gerhard Walcker/Kleinblittersdorf.

With that clue (it's a Walcker Organ) I was able to find more information at the GE Walcker site. This page includes a remarkable reflection on the hall and organ.


Here is wiki-information on the hall:
The Romanian Athenaeum (Romanian: Ateneul Roman) is a concert hall in the center of Bucharest, Romania and a landmark of the Romanian capital city. Opened in 1888, the ornate, domed, circular building is the city's main concert hall and home of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic and of the George Enescu annual international music festival.

The building was designed by the French architect Albert Galleron, built on a property that had belonged to the Văcărescu family and inaugurated in 1888, although work continued until 1897. A portion of the construction funds was raised by public subscription in a 28-year long effort, of which the slogan is still remembered today: "Donate one leu for the Ateneu!"

On December 29, 1919, the Atheneum was the site of the conference of leading Romanians who voted to ratify the unification of Bessarabia, Transylvania, and Bukovina with the Romanian Old Kingdom to constitute Greater Romania.

Extensive reconstruction and restoration work has been conducted in 1992 by a Romanian construction company and restoration painter Silviu Petrescu, saving the building from collapse.

 

Another mini-sheet has been issued by Romania in 2013, commemorating the 125 anniversary of the hall itself. I don't have the stamp yet, but will create a post on it when I track down an example for myself.

Russia: Cultural Milestones (Millenium)

Russia issued this sheet of 12 stamps in September 2000, part of a series of sheet issued around the millennium celebrating milestones in Russian history (others represented sports, scientific, and technological achievements). The present sheet deals with cultural milestones. Scott 6606 was issued September 20; the individual stamps are designated alphabetically, a-l. None of the stamps depict an organ per se; the organ making this issue relevant is located in the selvage, at the top of the sheet. The rendering is of the interior of the Moscow Conservatory, depicting the facade and a grand piano.

Poland: Folk art

I have always been a little confused by the stamps in this issue.  The Scott catalog describes the set as folk art. These two semi-postals the catalog says are (5.50z+1.50z) a choir and (7z+1.50z) an organ grinder. Hans Timmerman's site documents the first of the pair, saying it is a choir accompanied by a portativ organ. Even up close I have a hard time seeing an organ in either of them!

The set was issued in 1969. There were six stamps of regular issue (Scott 1705-1710) in addition to the two present stamps (B118-B119). The were issued in December of that year. The catalog does not give any details about the recipent of the special funds raised by the semi-postal stamps.

It does seem that the larger figure in B118 has hands hovering above a set of key. It's difficult to discern what the man in yellow pants is actually doing in B119. An organ of some type may be depict in either or both of these stamps! I include both of them mostly for a sense of completeness, since they appear on most persons' lists of pipe organ stamps.

United States: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, IL

To my knowledge this is the only postal product produced by the USPS that includes a representation of an organ. Scott UX152 was issued in 1990 in advance of the 100th anniversary of the hall's construction. The card was part of a long-running series of "Historical Preservation" cards depicting unique or innovative US architectural  features on American buildings. The stamp image shows the stage area obliquely, and includes two of the three tonal egress openings for the organ sound, and the facade pipes of those openings.  This article gives a good summary of the recent history of the organ including  a specification of the current instrument. The original organ in the hall was by Lyon and Healy, installed in 1904. It was rebuilt by Sauter and Sons in 1946. By 1966 that instrument needed repairs, but workers on stage damaged a significant portion of the pipework, making rebuilding unfeasible. An electronic organ stood as replacement for a decade. A new organ by Moller was installed in 1981. Renovation in the hall at the end of the 20th century included a significant amount of work on the organ by the Casavant firm from Canada, beginning in 1994. Work was completed in 1999.

Ukraine: Igor Shamo

Ukraine issued this post card in 2000 honoring composer Igor Shamo (1925-1982). The stamp image itself features various music-related elements, but the image on the lower-left of the card shows the composer with a background of organ pipes. I have not been able to determine what Shamo's relationship to the organ may be. This helpful site goes into some detail about his training and musical career, and an extensive list of compositions, but no clue as to how or why organ pipes might figure into a post card honoring him. I am not sure where or when I got this post card, and it does not appear in my Scott catalog. I would be happy to hear from anyone who can help detail Shamo's relationship to the organ, or why organ pipes feature on the card in his honor.

Philippines: The Bamboo Organ

Anyone remotely interested in collecting stamps with the pipe organ theme will be familiar with the famous bamboo organ in Las Pinas, Philippines. Chris van Doodewaard has posted a very helpful article on the organ. The builder was a priest, Father Diego Cera. It was begun in 1816, heard in worship in 1821 and called "complete' in 1824 with the addition of a horizontal trumpet stop. The instrument is made almost entirely using bamboo. The horizontal reed pipes are in fact metal. The organ endured its harsh environment for many years but was finally declared unplayable in 1972, shipped to the Klais firm in Germany in 1973, rebuilt in a climate-controlled facility that replicated its "home" conditions. It was returned and re-installed in 1975. The organ has a single keyboard, divided. It was designed and built in a Spanish style.

The organ is featured on a set of three stamps (Scott 903-905) issued in 1964. The second of the three stamps was surcharged and re-issued (Scott 1055) in 1971. Philatelic materials related to these stamps are abundant. I have accumulated envelops and postcards, first day covers and programs all using these stamps in various combinations.

Netherlands: Street organ

This stamp was issued as part of a set of two in 1981. It features a street organ. These instruments are self-contained and built on carts that can be towed or otherwise moved from place to place. These are apparently quite a thing in the Netherlands, as a cursory image search revealed many, many images. I am not able to determine the maker of this particular instrument. It has three openings for sound to emerge from the works. It seems that it was designed to be moved by hand, rather than self-propelled or towed by a vehicle. The other stamp in the set (issued for the Europa theme "folklore and customs") depicts bells. The present stamp, Scott 614, is denominated 65c.