Coimbra, Portugal: New Cathedral

The New Cathedral in Coimbra, Portugal began as a Jesuit seminary and residence, begun in 1543. In 1759 Jesuits were banned from Portugal (I need to read more about that!) The cathedral had been housed in a Romanesque facility but was moved to the Jesuit church which was deemed more modern and spacious.

The present stamp is similar to others in this expanding series. Issued in 2013 it is in the vertical format. It shows an exterior image of the church and a larger interior image. If one knows what to look for, the organ cases are readily apparent within the chancel area shown.

The Orgaos de Portugal site explains that the original builder is unknown. The organ was refurbished in 2000 by Antonio Simoes and is still used in liturgies. They include this lovely image of one of the organ cases.

Leiria, Portugal: Cathedral

The cathedral church at Leiria was built between 1550 and 1574, having been elevated to a diocese in 1545. It was severely damaged in the 1755 earthquake. In 1811 it's interior was burned by French troops.

This stamp was issued in 2013 as part of a series of eight. This was the second set issued in the "Rota das Catedrais" series begun by the Portuguese postal authority. The stamp shows the interior of the cathedral, a straight shot down the nave toward the east end along with an exterior short. The stamps of the 2012 set were all in a landscape format; those in the 2013 set are oriented vertically. One can discern the altar in the center of the image. Harder to see are the two Baroque organ cases within the chancel area. The very top of the cases are only slightly seen in the stamp image. However, one does not see that these cases are essentially empty, with the pipe openings in the facade covered shut. A new organ stands in the south transcept, facing west. It is not visible in the stamp. The image below of the cathedral interior makes this all more plain.

According to the Orgaos de Portugal site, this new, unseen, instrument was built in 1998 by Georges Heintz. That site also includes a disposition. I have not been able to find any information about the older instrument whose cases are still in the chancel area.

Faro, Portugal: Cathedral

The cathedral in Faro, Portugal has a long and colorful history. The edifice became cathedral for the region in 1540. In 1596 the exterior was destroyed by the ravages of war. In 1755 an earthquake caused considerable damage. Thus much of what is seen today is from the rebuilding that took place in the late 1700's.

The organ barely seen in this stamp was built in 1715-1716 by Johann Heinrich Hulenkampf and Caetano Oldovini. It was most recently restored by the DA Flentrop firm in 1974. The organ is in a small gallery at clerestory level in the nave. The stamp includes just a small portion of the front of the instrument, including some of the horizontal reeds. One may read a fairly detailed history here. This site on Portuguese organs gives a disposition and photo.

Portugal began a sizeable series of stamps featuring its cathedrals in 2012. A few stamps in the series include glimpses of the organs in the interior images that comprise the stamp. The 2012 set included 10 stamps. Notice the cross included in the perforations.

Note: I was rooting around the website of Flentrop Orgelbouw this evening (two days after the initial post) looking for another instrument and in their works list saw two listings for Faro, Portugal. One was for the great organ! (The other was for the choir organ also in the cathedral.) Not Schnitger as proposed in some places, but according to Flentrop rather Uhlenkampf, in 1716. Flentrop did restoration work in 1974. Flentrop also provides a complete stoplist using modern formatting.

Masevaux, France

I got this cover several years ago, not really knowing what I was getting. The stamp is a common French regular issue, unremarkable with a likewise unremarkable cancellation. I liked the cachet. It shows an organ facade, a church tower and mentions the Masevaux International Organ Festival.

St Martin Church in Masevaux burned in 1966, destroying an historic Callinet organ from the mid-1800's. The church committed to rebuild, including two instrument (choir area and rear gallery) for the new facility. The 2016 season was the 40th of this august festival series.

The gallery organ was built by Alfred Kern and completed in 1975. This is the instrument shown on the cover.

Ukraine, Odessa Music Academy

Ukraine issued this postal envelop in 2013 to mark the 100th anniversary of the national music academy in Odessa. The facility is named for Antonia Nezhdanova, a very famous soprano singers in the early years of the last century.

The Academy has a well fleshed-out website that translates into English. The page describing the history of the academy is fascinating reading, even in translation. It seems that Alexander Manilov, a professor at the school 1968-1971 was instrumental in getting the Sauer organ installed in 1970. I could find no more information about the instrument.

The envelop shows an exterior shot of the Academy as the stamp image. The cachet shows the interior of the main hall stage, with organ (partially shrouded by drapes) and piano.

 

Today I was able to find more information about the organ including a stoplist.

Одеса Диспозиція органа Державної музичної академії W. Sauer, Frankfurt/Oder, op. 1909, 1970 рік, 22 рег.
Pedal C—f’		Hauptwerk C—g’’’		Swellwerk C—g’’’
Subbas	16’	Holzgedackt	8’	Quintade	16’
Gemshorn	8’	Rohrflöte	4’	Principal	8’
Rohrpommer 4f		Principal	2’	Spillpeife	8’
Fagott	16’	Sifflöte	1’	Oktave	4’
Posaune	8’	Sesquilter 2f		Spitzflöte	4’
		Scharf 3f		Rohrnasat	2 2/3’
		Krummhorn	8’	Nachthorn	2’
		Tremulant		Mixtur 5-6f
				Zymbel 3f
				Trompete	8’
ManualKoppel, I/P, II/P, II/I, PedalKoppel

Russia, Moscow Academy

Russia issued this postal envelop in 1991 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Moscow Academy. The Academy's rich history includes many names familiar to musicians around the world. Tchaikovsky's name is associated with the building, though he is but one of several important Russian (and indeed world-renown) musicians to have exerted influence here.

The envelop features a piano trio (violin, cello, piano) superimposed on an image of the main hall, with its organ, as the "stamp" design. The cachet area shows the exterior of the building with a statue of Tchaikovsky super-imposed on it. Both images are in color. The Russian text mentions the anniversary and Tchaikovsky's name.

The Academy's organ has figured on a handful of Russian stamps. Use the label links in the right column to navigate to them.

Argentina: Kirchner Cultural Center

Argentina issued this stamp in 2015, celebrating the Kirchner Cultural Center in BA. The mini-sheet is actually comprised of a single stamp with 4 colorful labels included. The Kirchner Center began as a Postal center when it was constructed (1911-1928). It was converted to a residence (1946) for the nation's president, but was recently re-invented as an arts facility (2005-2015). Included in the building is a large concert hall, The Blue Whale, which includes a pipe organ. The $20 stamp shows the interior of the concert hall including the organ. The labels show various other aspects of the facility. One of them shows some details of the organ: pipes, drawknobs and keyboards. The four-manual and pedals (56 ranks) instrument was built by Klais in Germany.