Italy commemorated the opera composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) in 1942 with a set of four postage stamps. Composers are fairly common features on stamps. As political documents, governments like to lift up composers as examples of the great achievements of the people of the country. In western music, the composer also has a special place of admiration and appreciation. This blog features many posts of composer stamps including the very first series by Austria in 1922, the American 1940 series, and a 1959 series issued to honor the opening of the Beethovenhalle. The Rossini stamp set is rather unusual, as it features a single composer. The set was issued on the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth on November 23, 1942.
At that time, Italy was still under the control of the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. Rossini is a popular, and uncontroversial, composer whose works are beloved by opera lovers. The choice of Rossini, especially on the important anniversary, was a celebration of Italian culture and the high art of opera. Apparently, for a nationalist like Mussolini, this fit with the ideology of Italian superiority. Also, in 1942, a major motion film about Rossini was released in Italy. Unquestionably, scholars today do not see political overtones in the movie, just a celebration of Rossini’s work.
Scott #’s 423-424
Gioachino Rossini
Rossini was born in the town of Pesaro and showed musical talent early. He studied at the music school in Bologna and wrote his first opera by the age of eighteen. Rossini would eventually write 39 operas, many of which are among the most popular operas of all time. Some of his most popular works are the Barber of Seville, L’italiana in Algeri, La Cenerentola, and William Tell.
Rossini wrote all of his operas early in his career. His last production was William Tell in 1829, after which he focused on writing other forms of music. However, his other works never attained the popularity that his operas achieved – and maintain to this day.
The Fascist government fell on July 25, 1943, eight months after the stamps were first released. Remarkably, and probably because of their uncontroversial topic, the stamps were in use after the liberation of Italy, until the end of the year.
The Stamps
Scott #’s 425-426
The stamps themselves are relatively boring in their iconography. For instance, although there are four stamps, there are really only two designs that are each produced in different colors in different denominations. The lowest two denominations, the 25 cent green stamp and the 30 cent brown stamp both depict the statue of Rossini from his hometown of Pesaro. Additionally, this design features a seated Rossini atop of stone block with a dedication to the composer. Conversely, the higher two denomination stamps, a 50 cent violet stamp and a 1 Lire blue stamp, feature a portrait from a photograph of the composer in middle age. All four stamps feature the coat-of-arms for the country under this fascist regime.
Rossini continues to be a fan favorite today. Here is one of his most famous arias. Enjoy!
