Johann Sebastian Bach Stamps from Africa 1..

Bach Stamps from Burundi..

2013  Burundi.  It’s quite clear which Bach monument served as the inspiration for the large motif..

2013  Burundi.  A small sheet with the same design. Bach fans will recognize the top two portraits on four stamps. The bottom two ... not so much..

Bach Stamps from Dschibuti..

This stamp sheet was issued in Djibouti in 2020. It celebrated the 270th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach's death..

Also, credit to whom credit is due: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, with his love for Bach’s music and his dedication to establishing the first monument to Bach, initiated the so-called “Bach Renaissance.”..

The International Year of Youth. In 1985, the African nation of Djibouti issued a magnificent stamp sheet to mark the occasion. In addition to the perforated stamps themselves, the sheet features portraits honoring ten composers and painters. Even though we don’t know which 16th- or 17th-century painting served as the inspiration for Bach’s image, we can still identify exactly who the depicted musicians and painters are: Bach first and foremost (... how could it be otherwise on a Bach website?), then Beethoven, Chopin, Grieg, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner. And the painters represented are: El Greco, Rubens, and Titian..

1986  Djibouti.  So, do you find him? Mr. Bach?..

2020  Djibouti. 
Yup, one small Bach. One big Bach. The small Bach is very loosely based on Haußmann..

Bach Stamps from the Republic Ivory Coast

This next work doesn't really deserve to be glued on a letter. Something like this belongs on the wall. and that is, in an elegant frame with a passe-partout. Or it belongs in a calendar. It's one of our favorite stamps: the Bach stamp from the Republic of Ivory Coast. It's also one of the more recent Bach stamps, issued in 2012, the year our Bach Mission began.

2012  Republic of Ivory Coast.  Noble, noble ... Bach in subtle shades of gray..

2013  Ivory Coast.  It’s a bit of far-fetched to include it here, because this sheet doesn’t even honor Johann Sebastian Bach. And whether his son is actually honored by these stamps as well remains an open question. Do you know where Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach can be found?..

2013  Ivory Coast. This lovely stamp sheet is really only a tribute to Bach for hardcore Bach fans. It is, in fact, dedicated to Albert Schweitzer. And he is playing the piano in the top right corner of the stamp. And since the “Jungle Doctor” was truly a die-hard Bach fan, Bach scholar, and Bach biographer, what he is playing there must certainly have been Bach. Speaking of which: On the stamp one above, Bach’s son Carl Phillip Emanuel is seated at the harpsichord. Right next to Frederick II. But he’s barely recognizable on this stamp.

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Bach Stamps from Gabon..

About the work below: What does Dr. Schweitzer have to do with Bach, anyway? And why is this a Bach postage stamp? What’s barely visible in the original format comes across much better at this size. As always, there’s more … just a click away. On Flickr..

At this size below, it’s not hard to spot Bach on the stamp. His name appears at the top of the sheet of music, behind the back of Bach’s biographer, Albert Schweitzer. Face value: two francs, issued in 1960. And again ... with an additional overprint in 1963..

1973  Gabon.  The honoree is Dr. Albert Schweitzer ... who was a Bach biographer. Plus, a very successful and, at the time, famous Bach biographer. Among others. On the right, you can see organ pipes and the word “Bach.”..

Bach Stamps from Gambia..

In 2003, Gambia released a set featuring four great composers and the massive fragment of a violin. In addition, in a smaller format, there is a complete violin serving as a decorative element. The figure depicted wearing a top hat: Verdi. Next to him is Beethoven. Next comes Mozart, and last but not least ... of course ... Bach..

2003  Gambia.  In this cycle, even fourth place is an honor. Sometimes, just showing up is everything..

To mark the 250th anniversary of his death in 2000, the Gambian Ministry of Posts issued a beautiful Bach stamp, shown below, featuring a portrait of Johann Sebastian, his signature, a quill pen, and musical notes. The musical notes refer to an “Aria from the Goldberg Variations”; for Bach fans: It is work 988 in the BWV..

2000  Gambia..

The following stamp, issued in 2000, honors great composers. Specifically, it features Frédéric Chopin. But then why do I see it as a Bach stamp? Because the name “Bach” appears on the left side of the stamp's text panel..

2000  Gambia.  Beethoven and Bach ... are actually represented here only in homeopathic doses. But at least ... on a Chopin stamp..

Bach Stamps from Guinea..

One of four blocks, and at least “Bach is part of the party”. Issuer: the Republic of Guinea. Not to be confused with Guinea-Bissau, first of all. And Equatorial Guinea, secondly. In 2002, the first stamp featuring a portrait of the young Johann Sebastian Bach was issued, presumably painted by Ernst Rentsch the Elder. But ... that’s not certain..

1985  Guinea.  Vivaldi very small ... Johann Sebastian, on the other hand, very big.

Below are two more blocks featuring great Classical Musicians. They were also issued in 2002. In Guinea. Three of the composers appear on both blocks. Why, of course, remains a mystery ... but there aren't that many possibilities. The first block features Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Liszt, Beethoven, and Richard Strauss..

2002  Guinea.  Some are allowed only here. Some on this block and the next.

On the second block, which follows in the same style as the one above, the composers are Bach (... again), Handel (... also again), Debussy, Wagner, Haydn, and Beethoven (...as well, for the second time)..

2002  Guinea.  Bach is permitted on both blocks this year..

In 2010, the République de Guinée issued the following dreamlike block in shades of yellow and red. It honors nine great composers. They are, among others, Dvořák, Debussy, Berlioz, Handel, Bach, Liszt, and Johann Strauss.

2002  Guinea.  A dream in yellow and red: nine masters. Bach is, of course, among them..

A Bach stamp sheet in shades ranging from light green to yellow-green is quite rare. One particularly fascinating detail to discover on it: the famous image of a Russian soldier raising the Soviet Union’s flag on the Reichstag building in Berlin, toward the end of World War II. I wonder what the artist was thinking when he designed it?! To the right of Bach’s portrait, you can see the Bach House in Eisenach..

2015  Guinea..

2018  Guinea.  That's creative, too: a stamp designed in a completely different way. And ... very much focused on Bach..

2020  Guinea.  That's pretty cool: Johann Sebastian Bach's father, the musician Johann Ambrosius Bach, is finally also honored on a Bach stamp. Can you spot him? He's even mentioned by name. And what else? In the top right corner is the New Bach Monument to Leipzig, in front of Wartburg Castle in Eisenach..

2020  Guinea. Yes ... that’s how a portrait changes over time: this hairstyle or wig ... of Bach ... we hadn’t seen it before. So,m that on the smaller stamp. Could it be that it’s not Bach? But another musician? Hardly, since it’s explicitly stated below..

2000  Guinea.  Of course, you don’t just design and print a single sheet if you want to make money from it. That’s what Cinderellas are for. If collectors, like us in this case, want to keep their collection of designs complete, they’ll just have to dig deep into their pockets. So, once again: a lovely little work of art in honor of Bach, inspired by various historical motifs. Except ... the third motif with the playing hands ... they must have had to hurry there. No time for another Bach idea..

2020  Guinea. 
Finally, the relatively insignificant Bach monument in Weimar also appears on a Bach stamp. Alongside it are a large portrait of Bach, his signature, the Bach seal featuring the seven cones that were in use at the time, as well as illustrations on the left and right, musical notes, and a violin with a bow..

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Bach Stamps from Guinea-Bissau

2001  Guinea-Bissau.  This goes beyond the limits of what is acceptable. Presenting this tribute to Albert Schweitzer here is only possible because the collection makes no claim to being a scholarly compilation. Schweitzer was one of the greatest Bach biographers. Schweitzer loved Bach’s music. The organ stands as a symbol of that. We simply decide: That is precisely why it is a Bach stamp..

2012 Guinea-Bissau. Finally, a stamp you can actually rotate whenever you like. It’s always a pleasure to look at. And if you ignore the headline, it’s never “upside down.” St. Thomas Church is depicted behind Bach’s portrait, and it’s even mentioned..

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Bach as Thomas Cantor, St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, a dream of an organ and staves from the 3rd “Brandenburg Concerto.” Issued by the Ministry of Posts of the State of Guinea-Bissau in 1985, the International Year of Music, in honor of the 300th anniversary of Bach’s birth: one of the most beautiful blocks in the entire Bach stamp collection. What else is there to mention? Yes, that’s right: The work listed below is cataloged as No. 1048 in the BWV ... and who discovered it? Correct, it was Paul Gomon, a musicologist from Leipzig who also enjoys Bach stamps..

2002 Guinea-Bissau. Simply ... breathtakingly beautiful..

What Do a Pope, Bach, the Ice, and a Classic Mercedes-Benz Have in Common? That's Right: They All Come from Germany..

So here’s someone who’s really into Germany. And that’s how everything that belongs on a stamp about Germany comes together: How else could you fit the Allianz Arena and Bach, the Pope and the “Gold-Else” in Berlin, an ICE train and a historic Benz onto a piece of paper the size of your palm? Impressive..

2008  Guinea-Bissau.  „More Germany“ is not possible ... and Bach is part of it​..

Below: The 260th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s death marks the occasion for the issuance of the next Johann Sebastian Bach stamp, which features a block combining various well-known portraits. The block is crowned by the Bach monument in Eisenach, located there next to the Bach Museum and the Bach House. The artwork ranges from Haußmann’s most famous painting to the so-called “portrait of Bach in old age” (... bottom right)..

2010  Guinea-Bissau.  Bach x 6: eine „Bach-Ikonografie“ zum Thomaskantor.

Also marking the 260th anniversary of his death, Guinea-Bissau is issuing a second stamp in honor of Johann Sebastian. The Thomas Cantor is depicted on it a total of three times. A stunning collage in shades of red ..

2010 Guinea-Bissau. With several Bach blocks, one of the most enthusiastic issuers: the Republic of Guinea-Bissau in Africa..

Guinea-Bissau 2020. There's really only one word to describe it: Impressive..

Guinea-Bissau  2020.  What a cool mini-sheet. The large image – a portrait – is entirely fictional. But painters and artists have been doing that for over 270 years. The actual stamp depicts the “New Bach Monument” in Leipzig.

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