Stamp of the Silberman Organ in Freiburg

This article features the East German stamp of the Silbermann organ in Freiburg. It is the second in a set of four stamps from 1976 celebrating baroque organs by the famous German organ builder Gottfried Silbermann. Make sure to read my articles about the other stamps in this set featuring his organs in the cities of Rötha, Frauereuth, and Dresden.

Pipe Organs on Stamps

Pipe organs are among the most prevalent specific instruments that appear on stamps. In other words, while other stamps might feature a generic violin, a generic guitar, or a generic piano, stamps with organs feature very specific instruments. Organs are usually very large and expensive and custom built for a specific church or cathedral. Large pipe organs can even be in use for several centuries (with regular maintenance and restoration work). Organs can become elements of pride for a parish, a community, or even a country.

You can read other posts about organs on stamps from Hamburg, Germany; Wasquehal, France; Oaxaca, Mexico; and from the Vatican City.

Silbermann Organ of the Cathedral of St Mary, Freiburg

The basilica of “Our Lady” in Freiburg was built around 1180, a result of rapid growth in the region due to the discovery of silver in the nearby Ore Mountains. After a fire in 1484, the present Cathedral of St. Mary, was built on the same spot. Gottfried Silberman, a small chamber instrument and the large great organ with three manuals, 44 stops, and 2574 pipes.

Silbermann (1683-1753) was the son of Michael Silbermann, a carpenter in Frauenstein. Beginning in 1702, Gottfried apprenticed with his older brother Andreas, learning organ building in Strasborg, in the Alsace region of France bordering Germany. There, Silbermann was able to study the organs of both the German and French schools. In 1711, Gottfried established his own workshop in the city of Freiburg. It is thought that he built around fifty organs, of which, incredibly, thirty-five survive. His instruments are known for their bright tone and for plentiful reed stops.

At only 28 years of age, the cathedral in Freiburg hired him to build a new great organ. The specifications for the instrument were largely from the then organist, Elias Lindner, who was also responsible for the case design. It divides the pipes into three areas that can be seen externally. The pipes for the Oberwerk are located in the topmost section, while the Brustwerk is in the small box right above the manuals. The remainder of the pipes are for the main part of the organ, the HauptWerk. This design by Lindner was an influence on all subsequent Silbermann organs.

The great organ was built between 1711 and 1714. Amazingly, the organ survives in nearly completely original condition, with only very minor additions and restorations made over three hundred years.

The Organ Stops

The Stamp

The four stamps in the Silbermann organ series are rather simple. In each, the organ is drawn using bright colors and depicted with a straight on perspective. The instruments are set against a bright, strong color, for the 20 pfenning stamp featuring the Freiburg organ, the stamp is red. The entire set is the design of Gerhard Voigt.

Here this amazing instrument below: