Collection Inspiration: Composers
Posted on 4/20/2021
Paper money collectors often focus on a particular nation or even a particular series. This column is designed to offer ideas for building a collection of notes from around the world based on a common element. This month, we look at composers who are featured on notes from around the world.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) is one of the most famous classic music composers of all-time. Despite living only 35 years, he composed more than 600 works. Austria honored the Salzburg native with this 5,000/- Schilling Note, which shows the Vienna State Opera on the back. When the opera house opened in 1869, its first performance was Mozart's "Don Giovanni."
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| Austria, National Bank 1988 (ND 1989) 5,000/- Schilling graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated Click images to enlarge |
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Frederic Francois Chopin (1810-1849) was a Polish composer who wrote chiefly for the piano. His works include over a dozen polonaises (musical arrangements for dancing), one of which is featured on the back of this Polish note that honors his legacy.
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| Poland, National Bank 1988 5,000 Zlotych graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated Click images to enlarge |
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Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was an Italian composer whose operas remain popular. The back of this Italian note honoring him shows the Teatro alla Scala, which was inaugurated in 1778. The opera house hosted the first performances of several of Verdi's works, including "Otello" in 1887.
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| Italy, Banca d'Italia 1981 1,000 Lire graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge |
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Clara Schumann (1819-1896), one of the most famous female composers, was married to another famous composer, Robert Schumann. She was also a renowned pianist, so it makes sense that the back of this German note with her image includes a piano.
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| Germany - Federal Republic 1991 100 Deutsche Mark graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge |
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Antonio Carlos Gomes (1836-1898) was the first composer from the Americas to earn the acceptance of European audiences. The Brazilian native composed eight operas, including "Lo schiavo," inspired by the fight against slavery, which his homeland didn't abolish until 1888.
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| Brazil, Banco Central ND (1993) 5,000 Cruzeiros graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge |
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Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) is Norway's most famous composer, and he appears on this Norwegian note. His "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and "Morning Mood" from the play "Peer Gynt" both resonate in popular culture today.
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| Norway, Norges Bank 1991 500 Kroner graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge |
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Soghomon Soghomonian aka Komitas (1869-1935) was an Armenian priest who was also a composer and a musicologist. He transcribed hundreds of pieces of Armenian folk music, earning him praise as the "savior of Armenian music." Sadly, having witnessed atrocities during the Armenian Genocide, he spent much of his later years in mental health institutions.
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| Armenia, Central Bank 2018 10,000 Dram graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge |
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Dobri Hristov (1875-1941) was a composer of choral and orchestra music. He was born in Varna, Bulgaria, at a time when the city was still part of the Ottoman Empire. Hristov appears on the front of this Bulgarian note, and the Varna Opera Theater appears on the back.
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| Bulgaria, National Bank 1993 500 Leva graded PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge |
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Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) was a composer who is renowned in his native Spain despite composing relatively few works. In the 1920s and 1930s, he lived in Granada, on the Mediterranean coast. The city's historic Generalife estate and gardens are depicted on the back of this Spanish note.
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| Spain, Banco de Espana 1970 (ND 1974) 100 Pesetas graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge |
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Bela Bartok (1881-1945) was a Hungarian composer famous for his Night music style. He appears on the front of this Hungarian note, while Hungarian sculptor Ferenc Medgyessy's "Mother with her child" appears on the back.
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| Hungary, National Bank 1993 1,000 Forint graded PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge |
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Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is often regarded as the greatest composer of all time, but collectors seeking the likeness of the German virtuoso on paper money will have to look to this Zero Euro souvenir note.
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| Euro Souvenir 2015-20 0 Euro graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge |
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Other banknotes with composers worth a look:
- Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) - Austria 1954 20/- Schillings, Pick #129b
- Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) - Austria 1954 1000/- Schillings, Pick #135a
- Claude Debussy (1862-1918) - France 1980-86 20 Francs, Pick #151a
- Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) - Finland 1986 100 Markkaa, Pick #115a
- Zacharia Paliashvili (1871-1933) - Georgia 2002 2 Lari, Pick #69
Other articles in this series
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