Issue date: 23 Apr, 2014
EUROPE
Spain is dedicating its stamp to the Guitar and one of the grand masters of the instrument, Paco de Lucía.
Francisco Sánchez Gómez, known as Paco de Lucía, was born in Algeciras in the province of Cadiz, in 1947, and died in Cancún in Mexico in 2014. Born into a humble family, son and brother of musicians, he learned to strum the guitar from his father, Antonio Sánchez Pecino, and his oldler brother, Ramón de Algeciras Very soon he came into contact with the great flamenco artists, such as El Niño Ricardo, a brilliant guitarist, Mario Escudero and Sabicas, who advised him to find his own style and way of playing. While still a child, he performed with his brother, the flamenco singer Pepe de Algeciras, as the Los Chiquitos de Algeciras duo in flamenco venues and the Flamenco Art Competiton in Jerez, which launched his career and foreign tours.
In 1967 he recorded his first solo album, The fabulous guitar of Paco de Lucía, a started up in the legendary duo of Camarón de la Isla-Paco de Lucía, which revolutionised the flamenco world. Together they recorded more than a dozen albums full of creativity, in which they mixed the clapping and singing of bulerías with fandangos and rumbas. In 1973, Paco de Lucía won over a wide audience with the rumba Entre dos Aguas and shot to international fame. Recognised as the best flamenco guitarist of all time and the one with worldwide prestige, he fused flamenco with other types of music and styles, such as jazz, bossa nova, pop, tango and classical music. He received the Príncipe de Asturias prize for Arts in 2004.
The guitar is a plucked string instrument. It consists of a wooden sound box, a neck with a finger board and frets and the six strings, three made of gut and three of silk cased in metal.
The origins of the guitar still remain obscure. Some think that it comes from the Graeco-Roman zither, while others believe that the one we know today was brought to Spain by the Moors. For a long time it was used to accompany dancing and traditional ballads, until the sound was improved in the 18th century and it became part of music circles.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.