Musicians And Composers On Stamps

Happy Birthday to Spanish composer and pianist José Padilla Sánchez, (1889-1960), who is perhaps best known for the songs La Violetera (1914) and El Relicario. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Maestro Padilla and the score to his tango Leilah, printed by photogravure, and issued by Spain on June 19, 1990 to commemorate the composer's birth centenary, plus an image of an autographed photo of José Padilla, and a YouTube link to a splendid recorded performance of La Violetera by Italian singer Gigliola Cinquetti (1947- ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5FrCcJo1fc

- nethryk

Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein (1829-1894) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor, and the founder of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ranks amongst the greatest 19th-century keyboard virtuosos. Rubinstein was also a prolific composer throughout much of his life, writing many musical compositions including five piano concertos, six symphonies, and twenty operas, the best known of which is The Demon (1871). Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Rubinstein, designed by Russian artist Vasili Vasilievich Zavialov (1906-1972), printed by photogravure, and issued by Russia (USSR) on December 30, 1954 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the composer's birth, plus an image of a portrayal of Anton Rubinstein on the podium by Russian artist Ilya Repin (see my June 2, 2014 post in the "sign here please" topical thread), and a YouTube link to a 1922 recording of Italian opera star Titta Ruffo (1877-1953), known as the Voce del leone ("voice of the lion"), singing "Nye plach, ditya" ("Do not weep, child") from The Demon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-Llf590uwM

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843-1907), a Norwegian composer and pianist of the Romantic era who used and developed Norwegian folk music in his own compositions. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Edvard Grieg and a musical score, designed and engraved by Sverre Morken, and issued by Norway on May 3, 1983 to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the composer's birth, Scott No. 823, Facit No. 920, plus an image of an autographed photograph of Grieg taken in 1888, and a YouTube link to a performance of Edvard Grieg's sublime Peer Gynt Suites 1 & 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2gDFJWhXp8

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Alfredo Catalani (1854-1893), an Italian operatic composer best known for his operas Loreley (1890) and La Wally (1892). Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Catalani, designed by G. Savini, printed by photogravure, and issued by Italy on June 19, 1954 to commemorate the composer's birth centenary, plus a photo of Alfredo Catalani, and a YouTube link to a recording of "The Dance of the Water Nymphs" from Act III of Loreley, performed by the NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini conducting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UpOOm3Furc

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880), a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario remembered for his nearly 100 operettas and for an uncompleted opera, The Tales of Hoffmann. Here is an image of an airmail stamp featuring a portrait of the composer, designed and engraved by Georges Bétemps, and issued by Gabon on May 15, 1980 to commemorate the centenary of his death, Scott No. C230, plus an image of a painted portrait of Jacques Offenbach in the 1860s, and a YouTube link to a performance of the Overture to Offenbach's classical full-length operetta Orphée aux enfers ("Orpheus in the Underworld," 1858), which concludes with the famous Can Can music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4hs7vW8SV0

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Leoš Janácek (1854-1928), a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher who was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Janácek, designed by Czech artist Karel Svolinský (1896-1986), engraved by Jindra Schmidt, and issued by Czechoslovakia on May 22, 1954 to commemorate the composer's birth centenary, plus a photo of Leoš Janácek, and a YouTube link to a 2010 performance by Czech pianist Tomas Klement of Janácek's solo piano cycle V mlhách ("In the Mists," 1912): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHHiVHbA8Vc

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Franz Adolf Berwald (1796-1868), a Swedish Romantic composer of symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and operas, and also an orthopedic surgeon and a businessman. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a profile of the composer, a violin, and sheet music for his opera Drottningen av Golconda ("The Queen of Golconda," 1864), designed by Swedish artist Sven Erik Skawonius (1908-1981), engraved by Heinz W. Gutschmidt, and issued as one of a set of three similar stamps commemorating Berwald's death centenary, Scott No. 775, Facit No. 622B, plus an image of a photograph of Franz Berwald, c. 1860, and a YouTube link to a performance of the overture to "The Queen of Golconda:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unG2F9L6eEA

- nethryk

Kaddour Srarfi (1913-1977) was an influential Tunisian violinist and composer. Here is an image of a stamp depicting Srarfi playing the violin, designed by Tunisian artist Yosr Jamoussi, printed by lithography, and issued by Tunisia on December 21, 1998, Scott No. 1172, plus a photo of Kaddour Srarfi, and a YouTube link to a performance of his composition entitled Farha ("Joy"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvFTEjQ7txU

- nethryk

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Happy Birthday to French Impressionist composer Achille-Claude Debussy (1862-1918)! Pelléas et Mélisande is an opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy which premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on April 30, 1902. Here is an image of a stamp designed by French artist Cyril de La Patellière (1950- ), engraved by Jacky Larrivière, and issued by Monaco on June 21, 2002 to commemorate the opera's centenary, Scott No. 2258, plus a photo of Claude Debussy in 1908, and a YouTube link to a video presentation of Act III, Scene 1 (reminiscent of "Rapunzel") of Pelléas et Mélisande: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbWydovn8oo

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Italian opera composer Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano (1867-1948). Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Giordano superimposed over sheet music for his best known opera, Andrea Chénier (1896), which is based on the life of the French poet, printed by photogravure, and issued by Italy on August 28, 1967 to commemorate the composer's birth centenary, Scott No. 970, plus a postcard photo of Umberto Giordano which was probably a model for this stamp's design, and a YouTube link to a 1954 performance by Mara Callas of the aria "La Mamma Morta" from Andrea Chénier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVFjPqAvVhY

- nethryk

One could make a whole book out of this fantastic thread, but when I looked for the most recent composers commemorative from Germany, I didn't find it, so here it is: The design was done by Julia Warbanow and the stamp was issued for Wagner's 200th birthday last year.

Shyama Shastri (1762-1827) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music. Here is an image of a stamp designed after a painting of Shastri holding a tanpura, printed by photogravure, and issued by India on December 21, 1985, Scott No. 1106, plus an image of the original painting and a YouTube link to a performance of a Shyama Shastri kriti featuring the talent of Carnatic music vocalist N. Vijay Siva (1967- ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3T9dlsLrxw

- nethryk

Emmy Destinn (Ema Destinnová, 1878-1930) was a Czech operatic soprano known for her strong and soaring lyric-dramatic voice. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Destinn, designed by Czech artist Karel Svolinský (1896-1986), engraved by Jindra Schmidt, and issued by Czechoslovakia on November 18, 1953 as one of a set of three stamps commemorating the 70th anniversary of the National Theater, Scott No. 624, plus a photograph of Emmy Destinn, and a YouTube link to a recorded performance of Emmy Destinn singing "Vissi d'arte," a soprano aria from Act 2 of the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini.

- nethryk

Many of the works of Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839-1881) were inspired by Russian history, including his masterpiece, the opera Boris Godunov, which premiered on January 27, 1874. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Mussorgsky and depicting the coronation scene from Boris Godunov, designed by R. Strelnikov, printed by lithography, and issued by Russia (USSR) on February 15, 1989 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth, Scott No. 5754, Zagorski No. 5980, plus a photograph of Modest Mussorgsky, and a YouTube link to a performance of the opera's coronation scene.

- nethryk