The Oaxacan cathedral organ is on a 2013 stamp from Mexico. Organ stamps are fairly common and a great resource into their variety is the Pipe Organs of the World on Postage Stamps blog by Michael R. Barker. You can see other articles on this site about organs on stamps from Austria, France, Germany, and Belgium, among others.
One special thing about organ stamps is that they feature a specific instrument. Other instrument stamps are usually generic, e.g. a violin, a drum, a piano. However, pipe organs are large and expensive and typically custom built to a specific location. They are the pride of a congregation, community, region, or country. This is why they are commonly on postage stamps.
The Stamps
The Oaxaca cathedral organ stamp is one of of a set of six honoring historic organs from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico from 2013. The set actually is a tribute to the work of the IOHIO (Institute of Historic Organs in Oaxaca). This organization restores and preserves historic instruments in Oaxaca. Of particular interest to stamp collectors, the organization is housed in the Oaxaca Philatelic Museum (MUFI).
The stamps are the design of Sergio Barranca and M. Cristina Anguiano using the photographs of D. Hillbert. The range in price from 7 Mexican pesos to 13.50.
Oaxacan Organs, Scott Number MX 2858a-f
Oaxacan Organs
An excellent resource about the importance of Oaxacan organs (and these specifically) is this article by David Warren Steel that I highly recommend. I want to quote his opening paragraph to add some important description:
“The state of Oaxaca is one of the most culturally diverse in all Mexico; it is also one of the richest repositories of historic pipe organs in the New World: some 65 organs have been identified, nearly all in a distinctive regional style, with some instruments dating back to 1690 or earlier. While most are in various states of deterioration, and some are clearly endangered, seven have been restored in recent years to playing condition.”
Musically, the organs in Oaxaca are special and I will quote steel again:
“The musical resources of these organs are modeled on those of Spanish organs in the 17th century. Oaxacan organs have a single manual, and no pedal keyboard. The keyboard is recessed in a rectangular “window” in the case; up till around 1850, this consisted of 45 keys, or four octaves, from C to c”’ with short octave in the bass. The organ is divided between middle C and C-sharp: stops are drawn separately above and below this dividing point. In fact, on most Oaxacan organs, the selection of stops varies from treble to bass, with some stops available only in one hand. Pitch is low, around A=392 Hz.”
The Oaxaca Cathedral
The Cathedral of our Lady of Assumption in the city of Oaxaca is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oaxaca. The original church dates to 1535, but it took nearly two centuries to complete the work. Earthquakes have done great damage to the building over the years. A 1931 earthquake took down the original towers and those you see today were built later.
The exterior facade of the building is of green cantera stone from the area. Inside, the church design is of the neoclassical style.
The Organ
The information below is from the IOHIO website. You can check it out here to learn more. The builder of the organ was Matías de Chávez from the city of Puebla, Mexico. It dates from 1711 and 1712. The pitch of the organ is a=392, significantly lower than modern pitch, but one commonly in use in Europe at this time. The organ case stands more than twenty-one feet high. Susan Tattershall of Órganos Históricos de México, with funding from Fomento Social Banamex restored the organ in 1996 and 1997.
DISPOSITION
Left hand: 21 notes C-c with a short octave
1. Flautado mayor 8´ (façade)
2. Trompeta real 8´
3. Lleno III
4. Diez y novena 1 1/3´
5. Quincena 2´
6. Octava 4´
7. Tapadillo 4´
8. Bardón 8´
9. Tambor
Right hand: 26 notes c#’-d’’’
1. Trompeta real 8´
2. Diez y novena 1 1/3´
3. Lleno IV
4. Quincena 2´
5. Flauta en octava 4´
6. Octava 4´
7. Bardón 8´
8. Corneta IV
9. Flautado mayor 8´
10. Clarín 8´ (façade)
11. Pajaritos
