This post features a set of Turkish Instrument stamp set from 1982. Sets of instruments are very popular features from countries around the world. On this blog, you can see sets from Thailand, Gabon, Norway, El Salvador, Papua New Guinea, among others.
It seems clear that there are multiple purposes for such sets. First, they typically celebrate the culture of a country. Secondly, they can help to create a sense of national unity through pride of this culture. Third, they can highlight the traditions of different, sometimes minority, ethnic groups. Finally, I think that there is also an aesthetic reason. Such sets have a natural cohesion that can be easily identifiable as a part of a set, while different enough to be useful, for example, on different prices of stamps.
In 1863, the Ottoman Empire became the second country in Asia to issue its own postage stamps. Then, in 1875, it was a founding member of the Universal Postal Union (then called the General Postal Union). Of course, the Ottoman Empire became the modern country of Turkey in 1923. Stamps from both the Ottoman era and Turkey are highly collectible today.
The Stamp Set
The 1982 instrument stamp set includes five stamps. Each features a single musical instrument (without a musician) on a blue background along with the name of the instrument in black letters. Each of the stamps bears a different denominational value in Turkish liras. The entire set of stamps was issued on October 15, 1982. Though not the most attractive stamps, the representation of the instruments is very clear and easily identifiable.
Davul
The first stamp in the series has a denominational value of 7 1/2 liras. It features a large drum with a wood shell and two skin heads known as a davul. On top of the drum rests a large mallet and a thin stick. A player wears a davul on a strap around their shoulder and plays one of the drum heads with the mallet, creating a booming bass sound. With the other hand, the player uses the stick to strike the other head, creating a higher pitch, tinny sound. The big bass notes sound on the strong beats, with the higher stick used to play other rhythms. While the drum is the davul in Turkey, similar drums are found throughout the Middle East.
Bağlama
The ten lira stamp features the bağlama, a type of lute and the most common stringed instrument in Turkey. While not visible on the stamp, the body of the instrument is a wood bowl, typically of mulberry, underneath the soundboard. The neck is very thin and quite long with decorative inlays on the flat fingerboard. Frets are made of fishing line that is tied to the neck. Typically, musicians use a plectrum to play the strings. However, in some places, finger picking is popular. There are many different sizes of bağlama within Turkey from the cura (smallest) to the Bas sazi (largest). The bağlama is related to similar instruments found from Greece through Turkey, Armenia, Syria, and Iraq.
Zurna
The next stamp is the fifteen lira denomination and it features the zurna, a double reed wind instrument. The body of the instrument is made from a hardwood fruit tree, such as a plum or apricot tree. Holes in the body are covered with fingers to create the various pitches of the instrument. The zurna has a cane reed that is flattened in order to vibrate against itself when the player blows across it. The other end of the cane is tied to a metal tube inserted into the wood body. The player rests their lips against a metal disk, the reed going inside their mouth and not coming into contact with the lips or tongue. When the player blows, the reed vibrates freely in their mouth. Zurnas often play in pairs, one playing a melody the other a drone, and almost always with a davul.
Kemençe
The kemençe appears on the twenty lira stamp in this set. Instruments such as the kemençe can be found throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Basically, they are three-string folk fiddles that have a short bow that sounds the strings. Unlike the European violin, which players hold under their chins, the kemençe stands upright with the tail resting on the musicians’ leg.
Ney (or Mey)
The final stamp in the set has the denomination of thirty lira. On the stamp is another double-reed instrument known as the mey. It comes from north-eastern Turkey and though similar to the zurna, there are several differences. First, the mey has a body that is conical throughout, without the bell flare seen on the zurna. Secondly, the reed is quite large in comparison to the zurna. The smaller mey has a range of about an octave (the zurna plays around two). The mey is very similar to the Armenian duduk.
Make sure to check out some of these instruments! Here is a zurna and davul playing for a wedding. Enjoy:
