Rimsky-Korsakov Soviet Stamp Set 1944

The imagery on postage stamps have meaning. They are political documents that circulate widely both within a country and beyond its borders. Often, the selection of a musical topic is a celebration of a country’s culture. The very first composer postage stamps are from Austria (1922) and indeed celebrate the extraordinary musical traditions of that country. Other times, a composer is a celebration of diversity, such as the example of Clara Schumann, one of the few women composers to appear on a stamp. More infrequently, is an example like the James Weldon Johnson stamp from the United States. He was an early figure in the Civil Rights struggle and wrote music for that long fight against the country. Then there is the truly nefarious, when such choices can be a part of nationalistic propaganda, the most common example would be stamps from Nazi Germany that feature composers.

In the nineteenth century, one movement in classical music was the development of national national styles. Perhaps the most important nationalist school that developed was in Russia. Perhaps the most important figure in the establishment of that style was the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Due to his enormous contributions to this patriotic music, it is no surprise that in 1944, the Soviet government celebrated him with a series of postage stamps.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was born in 1844 in a small town approximately two-hundred kilometers from St. Petersburg. His family were Russian nobles that could trace their lineage back to the fourteenth century. Nikolai began to play the piano at the age of six and by ten he was composing. However, he had other interests beyond music. Entranced by military stories, as well as the heroic exploits of members of his family, he joined the navy at the age of twelve, studying at the School for Mathematical and Navigational Sciences in St. Petersburg. During his schooling, he studied music, and eventually met the young composers Mily Balakirev, César Cui, and Modest Mussorgsky.

Upon graduating at the age of 18, Rimsky-Korsakov set sail on an assignment that would last more than two-and-a-half years. During this period, he put thoughts of musical composition aside. It was only upon his return, when he rekindled these relationships along with the composer Alexander Borodin, when Rimsky-Korsakov decided to become a serious musician. As young composers whose work was becoming known within Russia and beyond, Balakirev, Cui, Mussorgsky, Borodin, and Rimsky-Korsakov became known as “The Five.”

Among this group, Rimsky-Korsakov was especially well-known for his ability to orchestrate for large ensembles. In 1871, he became a professor of composition and orchestration at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (all while still serving in the navy). In 1873, he was able to become the Inspector of the Naval Band, allowing him to retain his rank, but resign from his commission and to compose and teach music exclusively.

Developing a Nationalist Style

As a master orchestrator, Rimsky-Korsakov was steeped in traditional classical compositional techniques. However, he and his friends in “The Five,” believed that Russia should have its own style of music. As was the case with other nationalist styles, they looked to the folk music of their country as well as folk lore for inspiration. Specifically, Rimsky-Korsakov and the others combined elements of traditional western music and forms, with the rhythms, harmonies, and melodic structures that were familiar in Russian folk music. He used Russian folk stories as the basis for his fifteen operas, and even referenced religion, in one of his most famous pieces, the Russian Easter Festival Overture.

In later life, Rimsky-Korsakov became a national figure. He achieved great success with his music, especially masterpieces like his Capriccio Espagnol and Scheherazade. He became friends with the immensely popular Tchaikovsky (though was jealous and cautious of the latter’s success). After Tchaikovsky’s death in 1892, Rimsky-Korsakov took his place composing for the Imperial theaters, writing the Christmas Eve opera based on a short story, and completing, on average, an opera every eighteen months until the end of his life in 1908.

The Stamps

The Soviet Union issued eight postage stamps celebrating the Centennial of Rimsky-Korsakov’s birth in 1944. In reality, there were only four individual stamps. They came as sets of four perforated stamps and also as imperforated stamps. Each stamp features a stoic portrait of Rimsky-Korsakov staring straight forward, with his trademark long white beard. Each stamp is printed in a monochromatic color. Within the set of four, there are basically only two truly different designs. The 30 kopek and 1 ruble stamps set his portrait against the backdrop of a building, presumably the St. Petersburg Conservatory where he long taught. The 60 kopek and 3 ruble stamp feature his portrait surrounded by a full laurel wreath, against what appears to be a curtain, an open book (music score?) laid out in front of him. All of the stamps are printed using the photogravure printing process.