German 1935 Composer Anniversary Stamp Set

This post is about the German 1935 composer anniversary stamp set. You know that expression “there must have been something in the water?” In classical music, there must have been something in the water in 1685. That year, for instance, the German composers Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel were both born. Additionally, In Italy, the composer/violinist Giuseppe Matteo Alberti; Ludovico Giustini (the first composer to write for the piano), and Domenico Scarlatti were all born that year. Germany issued a set of stamps that year that highlighted the contributions of their composers form the “1685” class.

Composer Stamps

Stamps are political. I point this out all the time. Countries that feature composers on their stamps are trying to make a specific point. In most cases, it is merely an opportunity to celebrate great artists and form national pride. This blog has featured composer stamps from Austria, the United States, Cuba, Italy, and Haiti.

Patriotism can sometimes go to far, becoming a dangerous form of nationalism. Germany in 1935 was under the control of Hitler and the Nazi party. They used pro-German sentiments to drive their horrific agenda of racial superiority. Their decision to celebrate German composers, in hindsight, can be seen as a part of their overall campaign. In addition to honoring Bach and Handel, they also included a stamp featuring Heinrich Schütz, a composer born in 1585 a full century earlier.

1935 German Stamps

Each stamp features a beautiful engraving in a monochromatic color. They were first made available on June 21, 1935 at the Leipzig Bach fair. Learn more here.

Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) is the most important German composer before the birth of Bach. He is largely credited with ushering in a transition between the Renaissance and early Baroque period and was influenced by Italian composers. He spent the majority of his career in the employ of the court in Dresden. There, he was celebrated as an organist and composed many works for the Lutheran church. In 1627, he presented his opera Dafne, considered the earliest German opera. The image appears to be based on a portrait by Christoph Spetner ca. 1650-60.

Germany takes great pride in the composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). This is evident in the large number of postage stamps featuring him throughout German postal history. Bach was an outstanding organist. Many of his keyboard compositions probably started as his improvisations on the instrument. He is also considered a genius of the Baroque countrapuntal style and his works include masterpieces of both instrumental and vocal music. The image on the stamp comes from a portrait of Bach by Elias Gottlob Haussman in 1746.

The final stamp in this series features George Frederick Handel (1685-1759). Of the three, Handel was the only one who spent most of his career outside of Germany. After studying in Halle, he went to Italy where he learned the new Italian operatic style. He then spent the bulk of his career in London. Handel is celebrated for his large scale vocal works, especially his operas and religious oratorios.

Continuing Motif . . .

The stamps must have been popular. Their designs appear on other materials, for instance, I have a postcard from 1936 that uses the portraits from the stamps. The postcard also has writing that translates: German Music / based on motifs of German postage stamps.

1985 Anniversary

Fifty years later, in 1985, then East Germany issued a variation of this series. It included the three composers, in new portraits that were similar in style and color (though the Bach and Handel stamps swapped color). This was in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Bach and Handel and the 400th anniversary of the birth of Schutz. I have a commemorative minisheet featuring these stamps.

***Added 1985 minisheet on October 18, 2020