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An Post goes Classical

14 August 2009

For centuries the word has been enriched by the genius of the great composers. Now An Post has chosen four of the most celebrated names Handel, Mozart, Chopin and Hayden to feature on the four stamp set.

Handel and Mozart feature on two 55c stamps while Chopin and Hayden appear on a pair of 82c (international) stamps.

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was born in Halle, Germany. He wrote over forty operas during his lifetime and, in 1741, composed his masterpiece, Messiah. This exuberant, joyful religious work was first performed in Fishamble Street, Dublin in 1742. The stamp features a portrait of Handel c.1736 (oil on canvas) by Thomas Hudson, set against the original score of the Last Folio from the opera Susanna.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was an Austrian child prodigy, who became an official court composer at the age of just seventeen. He composed an extraordinary number of concerti, symphonies and operas, of which the best known today is The Marriage of Figaro. The stamp features an image of Mozart (oil on canvas) by Grassi, and is set on a background incorporating the manuscript music score of the Overture of the opera Don Giovanni.

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) was born in Poland and played piano for Tsar Alexander I of Russia at the age of eleven. Moving to Paris in 1831, he met the writer and feminist Amandine Dupin. Amandine was his guide and muse between 1836 and 1848, the most productive and inspired period of his life. With her help and inspiration he composed his greatest works, including Nocturnes, Preludes and Polonaises. The stamp features an oil on canvas portrait of Chopin by Ary Scheffer, set against a facsimile of the music score of 'Ballade Number 2 in F'.

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) began his musical career singing in the famous boys' choir in Vienna. Known as 'the Father of the Symphony', his move to England in 1791 coincided with the emergence of the large symphony orchestras and he had a remarkable gift for the complex, subtle arrangements demanded by this new form of performance. The oil on canvas painting of Haydn is by John Carl Rossler, (fl.1799) and incorporates a background of the music score Symphony No. 95.

Also available for this issue are two First Day Covers, a minisheet and an excellently designed Prestige Booklet, by Ger Garland, which contains all four stamps and further information on each composer. These are all available at Main Post offices or by visiting www.irishstamps.ie or calling +353 (1) 7057400.

 

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