Musicians And Composers On Stamps

Happy Birthday to Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1886), an Italian composer, mainly of operas. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Ponchielli and a scene from his popular opera La Gioconda (literally, "The Happy Woman"), first performed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, in 1876, designed and combined engraved by Rita Morena and photogravure, and issued by Italy on March 8, 1986 to commemorate the centenary of the composer's death, Scott No. 1656, plus a photo of Amilcare Ponchielli, and a link to a YouTube video with a performance of the splendid (and well-known, thanks to Walt Disney's 1940 animated film, Fantasia) "Dance of the Hours" from La Gioconda, Sir Antonio "Tony" Pappano (1959-) conducting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmD5ph20CEg

- nethryk

Emmanuel Durlet (1893-1977) was a Belgian composer, pianist, and pedagogue. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Durlet and some sheet music, designed by Paul Deweerd, engraved by Jean De Vos, and issued by Belgium on November 3, 1979, Scott No. 1042, plus a photo of the composer which may have been the model for this stamp's design, and a YouTube link to performances by Liezel Meylaers of two of Emmanuel Durlet's short pieces for students, De Muziekdoos ("The Music Box") and De vlo ("The Flea") plus a couple of numbers by Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6y3LxV0DKU

- nethryk

Sayed Darwish (1892-1923) was an Egyptian singer and composer who was considered "the father of Egyptian popular music." Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Darwish and musical notes floating in the air, printed by photogravure, and issued by Egypt on September 15, 1958 to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the composer's death, plus an image of a photograph of the composer which was probably a model for this stamp's design, and a YouTube link to a recording of a performance by Sayed Darwish of his song Ana Haweet ("I Fell In Love," 1922): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-XRWwZjAVk

- nethryk

Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741) was an Austrian composer, music theorist and pedagogue of the late Baroque era. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Fux, designed by Austiran artist Adalbert Pilch, combined engraved by Kurt Leitgeb and photogravure, and issued by Austria on May 3, 1985 to commemorate the 325th anniversary of Fux's birth, Scott No. 1311, plus an image of a painted portrait (1717) of the composer in the collection of the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna, and a YouTube link to performances of Fux's Sonatas & Sinfonias by Capella Agostino Steffani, conducted by Lajos Rovátkay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryUnZmKlCZM

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906-1975), a Soviet Russian composer and pianist. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Shostakovich, designed by Vladimir Koval, engraved by Vladimir Smirnov, and issued by Russia (USSR) on September 25, 1976, Scott No. 4486, Zagorski No. 4576, plus a photograph of Shostakovich taken in 1942, and a YouTube link to a recording of Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102: II. Andante, conducted by Dmitri Shostakovich's son, Maxim Shostakovich, and performed by Maxim's son, Dmitri Shostakovich Jr., accompanied by the I Musici de Montreal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlMHjo7Jwhk

- nethryk

Manuel María Ponce Cuéllar (1882-1948) was a Mexican composer, educator and scholar best known for connecting the concert scene to popular traditional song and Mexican folklore. Here is an image of a stamp depicting Ponce at the keyboard, designed by Miguel del Pino, printed by photogravure, and issued by Mexico on January 18, 1974 to commemorate the 25th anniversary (in 1973) of Manuel M. Ponce's death, Scott No. 1059, plus a photo of Ponce, and a YouTube link to a performance of his composition entitled Ferial, divertimiento sinfonico (1940), performed by the Orquesta Nacional de Mexico, conducted by José Limantour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ort29pG_Mwo

- nethryk

Josef Mattias Hauer (1883-1959) was an Austrian composer and music theorist who was most famous for developing a method for composing using all 12 notes of the chromatic scale. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Hauer and a geometric shape, designed by Adlabert Pilch, engraved by Kurt Leitgeb, and issued by Austria on March 18, 1983 to commemorate Hauer's birth centenary, Scott No. 1235, plus photo of Hauer, and a link to a YouTube recording of Hauer's Zwölftonspiel per pianoforte (1946), performed by Steffen Schleiermacher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvmaVaJfGT0

- nethryk

stampfan9 - The portrait on the stamp shown in your post of 02/18/2013 on page 5 of this thread is not that of Julius Fuèík the composer, 1872 - 1916, (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius...8composer%29 ) but that of Julius Fuèík the journalist, 1903 - 1943 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius...ournalist%29 ). The composer is said to have been an uncle of the journalist's.

Sorry.

Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano (1867-1948) was an Italian composer, principally of operas. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Giordano and a score from Andrea Chénier, a verismo opera in four acts, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 28 March 1896, printed by photogravure, and issued by Italy on August 28, 1967 to commemorate the composer's birth centenary, plus a photo of Umberto Giordano, and a YouTube link to a performance of the aria "La Mamma Morta" from Andrea Chénier by the immortal soprano Maria Callas (1923-1977) in a studio recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Tullio Serafin conducting, at Watford Town Hall, London, in 1954: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVFjPqAvVhY

- nethryk

Carlos Gardel (1890-1935) was a French-born Argentinian singer, songwriter, composer and actor, best known for the musicality of his baritone voice, the dramatic phrasing of his lyrics, and his embodiment of the tango style. Here are images of the three stamps in a set reproducing paintings of Gardel by various artists, printed by photogravure, and issued by Argentina on June 15, 1985, Scott Nos. 1502-04, plus a YouTube link to some recordings of Carlos Gardel performing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBuCPuw9mC0

- nethryk

Gardel playing the guitar on stage, by Carlos Alonso (1929- ).


Gardel wearing a wide-brimmed hat, by Hermegildo Sabat (1933- ).


Portrait of Gardel in an ornamental frame, by Aldo Severi (1928-2005) and Martiniano Arce (1939- ).

Just a note or two (pun intended) about Shostakovich, a mid-twentieth century composer whose creativity is thought by some to have been stifled by the Soviet regime. Probably wasn't as most of his best works came later in his career. Some of his fifteen symphonies are really memorable. I think no. 11 is one of the most intense and dramatic works ever written. It commemorates the 1905 massacre of peasants by the Czar's troops in St. Petersburg. I recently heard this symphony performed by the Toronto Symphony and the live performance blew me away.

His Piano Concerto no. 2 alluded to above is a beautiful work which will be performed by Symphony New Brunswick either next season or the one after. The Symphony's principal strings, playing as the Saint John String Quartet, have performed several of Shostakovich's string quartets and, in these works, can be found some of Dmitri's finest music.

NBSTAMPER - Thanks for sharing your comments about Dmitri Shostakovich's music.

Robert Elisabeth Stolz (1880-1975) was an Austrian songwriter and conductor as well as a composer of operettas and film music. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Stolz and his signature on a handwritten musical score, designed by Adalbert Pilch, engraved by Rudolf Toth, and issued by Austria on August 25, 1980 to commemorate the composer's birth centenary, plus a photo of Robert Stolz taken in 1970, and a YouTube link to a performance of Stolz's delightful song Fruehling in Wien ("Springtime in Vienna"): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As77xAyIWCs

- nethryk

Eight pages & no reference to this musician yet.



Benjamin Franklin invented the glass "armonica".

This modern glass armonica built using Benjamin Franklin's design courtesy of Wikipedia


Here's the Wiki link & all you need to know about it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_...27s_armonica

A youtube link to hear what it sounds like, very nice indeed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQemvyyJ--g

YeaPolska - Who knew?

Ferenc Erkel (1810-1893) was a Hungarian composer, conductor and pianist who is regarded as the father of Hungarian grand opera. Erkel also composed the music for Himnusz, the national anthem of Hungary, adopted in 1844. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Ferenc Erkel, designed by Zoltán Nagy, engraved by Mihály Füle, and issued by Hungary on November 6, 1960 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth, plus an image of another portrait of Ferenc Erkel, and a YouTube link to a performance by the Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera House, conducted by Garcia Navarro, of the Overture to Hunyadi László, an opera in three acts composed by Erkel, libretto by Béni Egressy, and based upon a play by Lörinc Tóth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEOonAiEFHw

- nethryk

Antônio Carlos Gomes (1836-1896) was a Brazilian-born opera composer who lived in Italy for much of his professional life, a contemporary of both Verdi and Puccini. Gomes's Brazilian-Indian-themed opera ballo Il Guarany ("The Guarany"), based on the novel O Guarani by José de Alencar, premiered at La Scala, Milan on March 19, 1870. The libretto (in Italian) was written by Antonio Scalvini and Carlo D'Ormeville. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Gomes, a part of the score for Il Guarany, and the face of an Indian, designed by Martha Poppe, printed by lithography, and issued by Brazil on July 11, 1986 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth, plus a photograph of Antônio Carlos Gomes taken in 1882, and a YouTube link to a recorded performance by the Orquestra de Sopros e Percussão do Cerrado "Ciranda da Arte" of the Overture to Il Guarany: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYNVYAEozFo

- nethryk