Robert Schumann Musical Stamp Error

This post is about the East German Robert Schumann musical stamp error from 1956. Stamp collectors, and even those who do not know much about stamps, are aware that from time to time there are errors on stamps. Perhaps the most famous stamp of all is the inverted jenny, with an upside down airplane. With all of the thousands of musical stamps, there are of course errors to be found. While this particular type of stamp is not something I specifically collect, I do have some in my collection. One of the best known errors on stamps is a musical stamp. The error was on a pair of stamps honoring the composer Robert Schumann. Today, I want to explore this famous stamp error with examples from my collection.

In 1956, both East and West Germany commemorated the centennial of composer Robert Schumann’s death. That year was a big one for celebrating composers on stamps, as it was also the bicentennial of Mozart’s birth. Again, both German states issued postage stamps, along with many other European countries. You can check out those stamps here.

Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was one of the most important nineteenth century composers of western art music. Originally, his intent was to become a concert pianist, but an injury to his hand caused him to abandon that dream. Instead, Schumann concentrated on composing and became a leading figure during the Romantic era.

Schumann married the pianist Clara Wieck in 1840. She was herself a star pianist and one of the best known musicians of the nineteenth century. She is also one of the few women composers to be depicted on a postage stamp. Read more here. Schumann struggled with depression as well as incredibly manic periods. It is thought that he had a bipolar disorder long before such a diagnosis was possible. He also may have suffered from mercury poisoning. After a famous suicide attempt, when he threw himself off of a bridge into the Rhine river, he entered a mental asylum by his own request. He died there two years later of pneumonia. He was 46 years old.

Still, in his short lifetime, Schumann composed some absolutely stunning music. He wrote four major symphonies and concertos for piano, cello, and violin, among others. Schumann also wrote prolifically for chamber ensembles and for solo piano. He is also known for composing a rich reperertoire of leider (songs). Much of his music remains in regular performance and he had a large influence on subsequent composers in the nineteenth century.

The Stamp

To mark the centennial of Schumann’s death, East Germany actually made two stamps, both of which were released on July 10th, 1956. This was just a few weeks before the actual anniversary of Schumann’s death on July 29th. The two stamps are identical in design, with one a dark emerald green color for the price of 10 pfennings, and the other a rosy red stamp for 20 pfennings.

The design for the stamps is by Kurt Eigler. They feature Schumann looking forward, right at the viewer. The image comes from a portrait of Schumann by Josef Kriehuber from 1839.

Behind Schumann is a piece of written musical notation. Except, this is where the problem on the stamp occurs. The Music that appears behind Robert Schumann was actually written by Franz Schubert. It is the latter composer’s song which is a setting of Goethe’s “Wandrers Nachtlied.” While you can’t see much notation on the stamp, you can clear see the key signature and opening vocal notes and piano chords. Compare to the first two measures of the Schubert song.

The Correction

The mistake seems to have only been found after the fact as their are plenty of the incorrect stamps available even today for very inexpensive prices. However, the government of East Germany did discover the error and so they created a new issue of the pair of stamps which were available in October of 1956, months after the actual centennial date. On the new stamp, the music is Schumann’s song “Mondnacht.”

Notice the differences between the original stamp with the error and the later correct stamp. You can compare the opening notes on the second, correct stamp, with the opening measures of the piano part of Schumann’s song.

While some errors on stamps are difficult to understand how they occurred, this one seems like a pretty reasonable mistake. Someone in the design of the stamp seems to have simply used an incorrect image of an original manuscript page, probably one without a signature. Without a deep musical knowledge, an artist would not have known the difference. It was only after the stamp was made public that serious musicians and stamp collectors found the error.

If you are curious about what the Schumann song sounds like, here is a wonderful recording by Jonas Kauffmann.