The Fab Four...Beatles Postage Stamps Part I Of II

Just like with the United States Postal Service, Great Britain has rules as to who and what can appear on postage stamps. Previously, only members of the Royal Family were honored with their own postage stamps. There have always been other types of stamps issued, but none of non family members. Times certainly have changed and a few years ago, so did the Royal Mail’s criteria for issuing stamps commemorative stamps. They are now issuing stamps with famous people, both deceased and alive, on some postage stamps. Of course the Queen’s head still appears on all postage stamps coming out of England.

The Beatles is one group that has been had a stamp issued commemorating their accomplishments. It should be noted that the stamps were issued because “their achievement is the focus of the design rather than their image.”

The Beatles are by far the most popular musical group to ever come out of England. Their fan base stretches around the globe. Interestingly enough, these beautiful stamps were issued in January of 2007 to commemorate the initial meeting of Paul McCartney and John Lennon in 1957. They serve to honor the cultural contribution to the British as well as the music they provided all around the world.

Please check back on Wednesday for the conclusion to this post.

Frank Sinatra Commemorated On New Stamp

On December 5, 2007, it was announced by Postmaster General, John Potter, that there will be a new Frank Sinatra stamp released sometime in the spring of 2008. He will be honored posthumously to mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

John Potter called Old Blue Eyes “an extraordinary entertainer whose life and work left an indelible impression on American culture.” He has won several Grammy awards, an Oscar and been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985, by President Reagan. He was a wonderful entertainer and certainly one of America’s top artists. Sinatra toured internationally and was known for being part of the Rat Pack.

The stamp will most likely be released in May or June. The Postal Governing Board may be raising their price of first class stamps, so they are waiting until later to announce the price on the stamp. It is believed to be either 41 cents or 42 cents. If stamp costs are raised, they want this new stamp to bear the new price so that it does not have a short shelf life at post offices.

This is not the first time that Mr. Sinatra has been honored by the Postal Service. In 2002, in Sinatra's hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey, the US Postal Service paid respects to Mr. Sinatra and renamed their post office after him.

The Fantasy Impromptu of Stamps

You are sitting in your library on a rainy day, your company consisting of a dusty, old radio and a hot cup of jasmine tea. You turn the dial to your favorite classical music station. As you close your eyes and take in the magic which begins to embrace your very existence in that room, your ears are captivated and consumed by a whirlwind of notes and rhythms and harmonies and dissonances. That which hypnotizes you in all of its wonder and genius is none other than Frédéric Chopin’s breathtaking Nocturne Opus 72 no.1, and you instantly become whisked away to a romantic ballroom where the prodigy, himself, is caressing and pounding out each and every measure, with the precision of a savant, as your soul waltzes to the dark and intricate melody. Each note is significant to the whole, with every crescendo and decrescendo sending chills up your spine; you truly appreciate the great murder that is modern music. Such an experience is fairly typical for the average sophisticate with a refined taste in music. This feeling of complete and total enthrallment is most likely the reason why Chopin is considered to be one of the most talented and innovative musical geniuses in the vast history of piano.

Frédéric Chopin was born in the village of Zelazowa Wola, in Warsaw, Poland, on March 1, 1810, to a French father and a Polish mother. During the duration of his musical life, after he was recognized as a child prodigy at the age of eight, he grew in popularity as a master Polish composer of piano music during the Romantic period (1820 – 1869) and is still considered to be one of the greatest piano composers of all time. He proved to be quite the innovator, in many respects, including the invention of the ballade music form for piano and the innovation of structures, such as the nocturne, the sonata, the waltz, the impromptu, the etude, and the prelude. It was an unfortunate day when the keys of the grand piano grew silent, on October 17, 1849. Chopin died in Paris, of what some claim to have been a broken heart, resulting from an affair he’d had with the French novelist, Madame Dudevant, more commonly known as "George Sand." One must take into consideration, though, that the life of such a passionate being rarely ends in anything other than heartache and tragedy. The era of a great musical master had come to the end of its chapter, but the spirit of his passion, lived out through each note, was left to haunt the ears and souls of generations to come.

Commemorate one of the greatest musical prodigies of the nineteenth century with the 25th Piano Contest Musical Score stamp, featuring none other than Frédéric Chopin. It is certain to stand out in the harmony of your stamp collection.