# 3156 - 1997 32c Opera Singers: Lawrence Tibbett
US #3156
1997 Lawrence Tibbett – Opera Singers
American Music Series
- Honors famous male opera singer Lawrence Tibbett
- One of the four Opera Singers stamps, the ninth set in the Legends of American Music Series
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Opera Singers
Series: Legends of American Music
Series: American Music
Value: 32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: September 10, 1997
First Day City: New York, New York
Quantity Issued: 86,00,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 20
Perforations: 11.1 x 11
Tagging: Phosphored Paper
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the career and legacy of opera singer Lawrence Tibbett.
About the stamp design: Pictures a portrait of Tibbett by artist Mark English of Liberty, Missouri. Also included on the stamp is a smaller image of a figure in the costume of a character from an opera.
Special design details: English’s work has also been pictured on the four American Arts commemoratives of 1973. Art director Howard Paine said of the earlier stamps, “They were sophisticated, moody, and very interesting.” That’s why he sought English out for the Opera Singers stamps.
First Day City: The Opera Singers stamps had their First Day of Issue Ceremony at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City’s Lincoln Center.
About the Opera Singers set: The ninth set of stamps in the Legends of American Music series. The set pictures two female (Lily Pons and Rosa Ponselle) and two male singers (Lawrence Tibbett and Richard Tucker) that made a lasting impact on American Opera.
About the Legends of American Music Series: The Legends of American Music Series debuted on January 8, 1993, and ran until September 21, 1999. More than 90 artists are represented from all styles of music: rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, country and western, jazz and pop, opera and classical, gospel and folk. In addition to individual singers and Broadway musicals, subjects include band leaders, classical composers, Hollywood songwriters and composers, conductors, lyricists, and more. The Legends of American Music Series was a huge advancement for diversity because it honored many Black and female artists.
History the stamp represents: Lawrence Tibbett (1896-1960) was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He sang in church and in school as a youth, and later studied under the noteworthy teachers Basil Ruysdael and Frank La Forge.
Tibbett made his first operatic appearance in Boris Godunoff at the Metropolitan Opera in 1923, where he continued singing a variety of small roles for two years. In 1925, his performance in the opera Falstaff was so dazzling it completely overshadowed the opera’s lead role and provoked a response from the crowd which was “not exceeded in many years.” He then went on to become the lead baritone at the Metropolitan, where he performed for the next 27 seasons.
Tibbett sang in the premiere performances of many American operas such as Louis Gruenberg’s The Emperor Jones (the first world premier to be broadcast live from the Metropolitan), Deems Taylor’s The King’s Henchman and Peter Ibbetson, and Howard Hanson’s Merry Mount.
A versatile performer, Tibbett appeared in the musical films The Rogue Song, The New Moon, The Southerner, Cuban Love Song, and Metropolitan. He also performed on Broadway and was one of America’s most popular recital and radio singers.
US #3156
1997 Lawrence Tibbett – Opera Singers
American Music Series
- Honors famous male opera singer Lawrence Tibbett
- One of the four Opera Singers stamps, the ninth set in the Legends of American Music Series
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Opera Singers
Series: Legends of American Music
Series: American Music
Value: 32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: September 10, 1997
First Day City: New York, New York
Quantity Issued: 86,00,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 20
Perforations: 11.1 x 11
Tagging: Phosphored Paper
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the career and legacy of opera singer Lawrence Tibbett.
About the stamp design: Pictures a portrait of Tibbett by artist Mark English of Liberty, Missouri. Also included on the stamp is a smaller image of a figure in the costume of a character from an opera.
Special design details: English’s work has also been pictured on the four American Arts commemoratives of 1973. Art director Howard Paine said of the earlier stamps, “They were sophisticated, moody, and very interesting.” That’s why he sought English out for the Opera Singers stamps.
First Day City: The Opera Singers stamps had their First Day of Issue Ceremony at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City’s Lincoln Center.
About the Opera Singers set: The ninth set of stamps in the Legends of American Music series. The set pictures two female (Lily Pons and Rosa Ponselle) and two male singers (Lawrence Tibbett and Richard Tucker) that made a lasting impact on American Opera.
About the Legends of American Music Series: The Legends of American Music Series debuted on January 8, 1993, and ran until September 21, 1999. More than 90 artists are represented from all styles of music: rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, country and western, jazz and pop, opera and classical, gospel and folk. In addition to individual singers and Broadway musicals, subjects include band leaders, classical composers, Hollywood songwriters and composers, conductors, lyricists, and more. The Legends of American Music Series was a huge advancement for diversity because it honored many Black and female artists.
History the stamp represents: Lawrence Tibbett (1896-1960) was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He sang in church and in school as a youth, and later studied under the noteworthy teachers Basil Ruysdael and Frank La Forge.
Tibbett made his first operatic appearance in Boris Godunoff at the Metropolitan Opera in 1923, where he continued singing a variety of small roles for two years. In 1925, his performance in the opera Falstaff was so dazzling it completely overshadowed the opera’s lead role and provoked a response from the crowd which was “not exceeded in many years.” He then went on to become the lead baritone at the Metropolitan, where he performed for the next 27 seasons.
Tibbett sang in the premiere performances of many American operas such as Louis Gruenberg’s The Emperor Jones (the first world premier to be broadcast live from the Metropolitan), Deems Taylor’s The King’s Henchman and Peter Ibbetson, and Howard Hanson’s Merry Mount.
A versatile performer, Tibbett appeared in the musical films The Rogue Song, The New Moon, The Southerner, Cuban Love Song, and Metropolitan. He also performed on Broadway and was one of America’s most popular recital and radio singers.