Guinea-Bissau: Bach Anniversary

 

Guinea-Bissau issued this stamp in 2010 to mark the 260th anniversary of the death of JS Bach. The stamp is a single high-value stamp, issued along with a set of five smaller stamps of the composer with various musical instrument, in various poses and in various denominations (not shown). There does not appear to be any specific connection between the composer, and anyone related to Guinea-Bissa. The stamp includes an image of the composer in profiles, and a second contrasting image. In the latter, the composer is seated at an organ console.  In the background is a portion of a console-style piano which would not be appropriate for the time period of the composer. There is some manner of crest near the composer; someone more versed in the topic may know if it's accurate or not. 

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.

Italy: Music Year 1985

In 1985 all member nations of the European Union were encouraged to issue stamps honoring the "music year." Many did, including Italy with this pair of stamps (Scott 1640-1641) featuring composers and tenors. The 500-lira stamp shows Pertile and Martinelli; the 600-lira stamp shows Bellini and Bach. The background of both includes a representation of what may be imaged as organ pipes. The 600-lira stamps honors "composers." Bellini is best known for his operas, though there is an organ sonata listed in his oeuvre. Bellini 's father and grandfather were both organists and music teachers. The 500-lira stamp honors "tenors."  Aureliano Pertile was a famous tenor who lived in the later 1800's through the 1950's. Giovanni Martinelli was another vocalist who lived during the same time frame. All the persons represented have a birth or death year which is a multiple of -85.

Mali: Composers, 2012

Mali issued a set of souvenir sheet stamps honoring various European composers (Mozart, Schubert, Wagner, Beethoven, Brahms, Stravinsky, Debussy, Verdi among them). The one of most interest is that of JS Bach. It features a replica of the famous Arnstadt image of Bach at an organ console. the 2000-franc stamp itself is round, with a basic portrait. The selvage includes the console image, along with various other musical instruments and images of musical scores. I do not have the Scott number yet.

I learned recently that in 2012 also Mail issued a large set of souvenir sheet stamps honoring Nobel prize winners. These are curious for the selvage images, which include an organ facade. There are so many of these sheets, and they are so expensive I despair of trying to purchase the lot of them at any point. This will help me remember that they are out there, though. This appears to be the organ in the Oslo, Norway Town Hall, but I have not yet found details of that instrument.

Maldive Isands: Bach anniversary

In 1985 the nation of Maldive Islands issued a set of 4 stamps plus a souvenir sheet (Scott 1106) of a single stamp in honor of the 300th anniversary of the birth of JS Bach. The stamps all include a portrait and either a piece of music or a musical instrument. The souvenir sheet is a portrait with the St Thomas Church, Leipzig in the selvage. Bach's connection with St Thomas is well-known. The organs contained therein are likewise well-known. The image in the selvage is an older engraving, before the very famous Bach statue was erected on the grounds. Thus the stamp is actually non-organic, but the connection is none-the-less strong.

Antigua: Bach anniversary

The island nation of Antigua (also Antigua and Barbuda)  issued this miniature sheet (Scott 2339) of a single stamp in 26 June 2000, presumably for the 250th anniversary of the death of JS Bach. The sheet  shows the Bach statue which is located outside the St Thomas Church in Leipzig Germany. The background is a music image denoted BMV 900. One assumes that should read "BWV" the generally used cataloging nomenclature for Bach works. It's a piano prelude and fugue. Bach was of course music director and teacher at the St Thomas church and school from 1723 until his death. The statue was erected in 1908, built by Carl Seffner. The composer is at the forefront of the statue but behind him is a representation of a pipe organ. It's not very clear on the stamp, but the image below makes it quite clear. Antigua was identified as part of the Leeward Islands for some time; it became a crown colony in 1956 and an Associated State in 1967. It gained independence in 1981 and took the name Antigua and Barbuda.

Central African Republic: Composers, 2011

In 2011 the postal agency for the Central African Republic issued a mini-sheet of three stamps featuring three classical music composers. The three are Mendelssohn, Bach, and Brahms. Mendelssohn is shown with a piano-forte, Brahms with a music score, and Bach with the famous portrait of him at the console. The stamps are denominated 1000 francs; two are horizontally formatted; the Brahms stamp is vertical. The background/selvedge of the mini-sheet shows a French horn and the neck of a stringed instrument. Typical of many nations these stamps' topic has no real connection to the people or life in CAR, and this "wallpaper" issue was designed as a cash grab by the postal authority.

Guinea-Bissau: Bach

Guinea-Bissau issued a mini-sheet and a souvenir sheet to commemorate the 260th anniversary of the death of JS Bach in 2010. The mini-sheet featured five stamps, and the souvenir sheet a single stamp in a large selvage. The souvenir sheet stamps feature various renderings of the composer with different (several modern) instruments in the background. The souvenir stamp shows the familiar Bach/console image (reversed) with a silhouette, and a modern piano in the background. The West African nation of Guinea-Bissau issued these (and several other stamps) on 31 January 2010.

Burundi: Bach, 2013

The African nation of Burundi issued this pair of items in 2013. They are part of a larger set that included Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Wagner, Schubert, and Verdi. For each composer there is a mini-sheet of a set of 4 stamps, plus a souvenir sheet that includes a single additional stamp. These composers had no direct relationship with the issuing nation. As such their relevance to Burundi is non-existent. Therefore, they fall into the category of "wallpaper," postal items issued simply to make money for the postal administration from collectors who feel compelled to gather items according to their philatelic interests. In my case it's the organ on the stamp from the mini-sheet of 4. The stamp is denominated 1190 francs. It shows Bach at the console of an un-named instrument, a reference to the common image found purportedly at the British Museum.  The other stamps show the composer at various stages of life, in one case playing a stringed instrument. These are so new that my Scott catalog doesn't include them yet.

Bach portrait

 

This image of JS Bach at an organ console is rather famous in some circles. It's unique for it shows the composer seated at an organ console. We gain insight into the attire one might wear whilst playing during this era, something about the console layout, etc. Details about the image are scarce however. All I have been able to determine is that the Getty image most often encountered is based on a print of perhaps 1725 found now in the British Museum. One colleague suggested that the basis of the print may be the console of the organ in the New Church, Arnstadt.

This picture has been used in several stamp images over the years, sometimes black&white, sometimes colorized, sometimes reversed, etc. I also recently encountered this image, similar but slightly different. I wonder if the two images are related somehow.

 

(The image has also been satirized in various ways. It's such a fascinating image that it's a shame we don't know more about the details.)

 

  

Rwanda: Schweitzer

Like several other African nations, Rwanda holds a special affinity for the medical doctor and musician, Albert Schweitzer. In the year that would have marked his 101st birthday, 1976, Rwanda issued set of stamps to mark World Leprosy Day. A year later the exact same set of stamps was re-issued with an additional text overprint for the same commemoration. The four stamps shown were part of the set of 8 stamps issued in 1977. Two show Lambarene Hospital and two show Schweitzer's residence. Two pictured below show a piano keyboard and a musical score (Bach's famous D Minor Toccata), and the last two in the set are above. The image includes random organ pipes and the first few notes from Bach's Fantasy in G Minor, not as famous or as well-known to as many people as the Toccata, but quite well-known to organists.

People's Republic of Congo: Bach

The People's Republic of Congo issued this stamp in 1985 as part of a set of five stamps. Each of the stamps commemorated various anniversaries or events. Included: 75th anniversary of Girl Guides; Jacob Grimm, the fabulist; the present stamp for the 300th anniversary of the birth of JS Bach; the 85th birthday of the Queen Mother in Great Britain; the centennial of the Statue of Liberty in New York. Scott 737 is denominated 350f and includes a likeness of the composer and the facade of a pipe organ. The organ is not identified; it is however, quite distinctive. The gold pipe shades and the angel atop the central portion of the facade are striking, and one would suppose not generic nor the work of an artist working without a model. One with a broader knowledge of organs might be able to identify it; I am, however, not.

Poland: Oliwa Cathedral

I found in some of my early documents a note about the 1985 Bach stamp issued by Poland (Scott 2712). The note simply said "Oliwa." Hoping that was a city with a church containing the instrument depicted on the stamp I did some hunting. It is indeed! Oliwa is a section of the city of Gdansk (Danzig) on the Baltic coast of Poland. The cathedral in this section of the city is a three nave basilica begun in 1186 as a monastery. It survived the Protestant Reformation, restoration and the establishment of a diocese in this part of town. As of 1992 it is an archcathedral dedicated to the Holy Trinity, BVW and St. Bernard. The organ has an equally colorful history. As built between 1763 and 1788 the instrument had 83 ranks over 3 manuals and pedal with mechanical action. It had significant work done in the mid 1800's which added Romantic colors. The most recent work, 1966-1968, brought the instrument to 96 ranks over five manuals and pedal. The facade pipes are those installed by Wulff in the 18th century. Nowhere is it made clear any direct connection between JS Bach and this organ, leading to their inclusion on the 1985 stamp.

Russia: JS Bach

Much like the 1985 issue from Poland, this stamp is a small souvenir sheet that includes a single stamp. Scott 5346 was issued in 1985, honoring the birth 300 years earlier of JS Bach. The present stamp features stylized pipes and wood-scrollwork in the selvage. An inscription at the bottom notes the anniversary year. The stamp itself also shows Bach's signature.

Poland: Bach

Though at the time not a member of the European Union, Poland issued in 1985 a stamp that seems to fit the music heme that year. Scott 2712 depicts JS Bach and an organ case. There were actually two versions of this stamp issued. One has an inscription at the bottom (like my example above) which in rough translation acknowledges the 300th anniversary of the birth of Bach. This version saw only limited release and is fairly valuable. The second version omits the inscription and is more common. The stamp also features a large Baroque organ case. I cannot tell what instrument it may be; others more acquainted with Bach organs may recognize it. This stamp, because it was released as a single stamp in a very large selvage, actually qualifies as a mini-sheet, or souvenir sheet.

Grenada: JS Bach omnibus

Grenada issued this stamp (Scott 2954) in 2000 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the death of JS Bach. The stamp is essentially a mini-sheet of one stamp with a large selvage. The stamp features an image of Bach from a painting. The selvage is the score to a "Prelude and Fugue in E Minor" seemingly for piano/harpsichord. Several small postal entities issued similar stamps for the anniversary year hence the collective term "omnibus."

Comoro Islands

The Comoro Islands lie off western Africa as an island group. They were individual island entities until French colonization. For a time after the colonial era they were aligned with Madagascar. Three, Anjouan, Grand Comoro and Moheli united as a sovereign state in 1975. It became an Islamic state in 1979.

Comoro issued a set of stamps honoring "great composers" in 1978. The set included JS Bach, Mozart, Berlioz, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, George Gershwin, and a souvenir sheet picturing Beethoven. This set (Scott 301-307) used "Republique des Comores". Following the shift in politics in 1979, the set was issued again with an overprint of the new national name (Scott 454-458) and in some cases new values. The Beethoven souvenir sheet was not re-produced.

On the present stamp JS Bach is shown seated at an organ console. The instrument is not identified, and its not readily apparent what instrument it may be.

Germany: JS Bach

Germany issued this stamp (Scott 2092) in 2000, to mark the 250th anniversary of the composer's death. The image seems to be based on a fairly typical classical era painting, digitized and the colors altered. There doesn't seem to be any representation of an organ in any form on the stamp unless the five blocks that constitute Bach's image bear an abstract semblance to an organ case. As is clear, the selvage includes music notation.

German Democratic Republic: Portativ

This semi-postal stamp was issued by DDR in 1950, two hundred years after the death of Bach. It was issued as part of a set of four stamps that together commemorate the "Bach year." The low-value stamp (B17) depicts a shepherd with double flute; second is the present stamp (B18); the third stamp (B19) depicts JS Bach; the final stamp (B20)shows a singing chorus. The girl in this stamp seems to be holding a portable organ with a scant 10-11 notes; it appears that 5 pipes are visible. The purpose of the surtax (6 pfennigs) is not designated in my edition of the Scott catalogue.

German Democratic Republic: JS Bach

This stamp (Scott 2461) was issued in 1985 for the "Spring Festival" (Fruehjahrsmesse) in Leipzig. JS Bach worked for several years at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. The statue upon which this stamp is based is located at the church. The monument to Bach was erected in 1908, only after a statue of Leibniz was removed to a nearby university site. The statue shows the composer standing alongside an organ, holding a scroll of music. The reverse of the statue shows the St. Thomas School in relief.  The stone base of the statue is a little over 9 feet tall; the bronze statue of Bach about 6 feet tall. The Bach memorial is also depicted on a stamp issued in 2004 as part of a "scenic attractions" series.