It was very common in the 19th century for poets to put their work to music in a sing along fashion to bring their work to a wider audience. In Sweden such people were known as visas. In the 20th century, Swedes became again well traveled, and Evert Taube was able to build on the old traditions by adding a wider view of the world including the seeds of social protest that so took over the tradition. Sounds like a man who should collect postage stamps. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and plug in your guitar. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This stamp issue is trying to do too much. Taube’s songs had romanticized views of areas that might suggest that people might want to visit. One can imagine that a stamp issue by a government may subvert Taube’s stamps to promote tourism to the places he loved, at least the ones in Sweden. Taube probably wouldn’t have minded. He should have minded the Swedish postal tradition of drab coloring and uninspired presentation.
Todays stamp was issue A337, a 95 Ore stamp issued by Sweden on May 2nd, 1977. It was a 5 stamp issue in various denominations honoring visa Evert Taube a year after his death. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth 45 cents whether used or unused.
Evert Taube was born in 1890 to a wealthy noble family. His father was a ship captain and Taube himself sailed far and wide in the Mediterranean and to Ceylon and Argentina. His style of singing could be done with the accompaniment of a full orchestra or stripped down to just a guitar and accordion. The songs were several verses of poetry that invited singing along to. His time in Argentina brought Sweden it’s first taste of the tango and Taube often sung with the affectations of the Gaucho. You can watch a sample of his singing in 1966 here https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=evert+taube&view=detail&mid=1ACDC6987DC5F19E92A71ACDC6987DC5F19E92A7&FORM=VIRE.
Over time the music became more political. Taub had witnessed Italian colonial wars in Africa and became an ardently anti war and anti fascist. That was no doubt a popular view in neutral Sweden. His musical poetry on the beauty of nature also appealed to the rising ecology movement. Throwing in this political stuff will tend to chase off people like me but often has the opposite effect on those into the politics. It becomes a gateway to letting them more fully explore the tradition that the music comes from. All too often, in my opinion, the artistry and poetry get pushed aside by more modern practitioners who would rather get straight to the politics. Imagine all the… yuk.
I mentioned that Taube’s work found a new audience in his old age from the new protest movement. This didn’t work well for Taube personally. In 1969, at age 79, Taube’s vacation home was burned down by a 37 year old women named Mona. She was diagnosed as a schizophrenic and institutionalized. Her story was that he promised marriage and delivered a psyche ward. Taube had been married since 1925 and remained so till his death. Mona became famous as an early celebrity stalker.
Well my drink is empty but I will always have time to pour another to toast a great troubadour er visa. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting