French commemorative €2 coins 2011, The 30th anniversary of the Music Day (Fête de la musique)
The design commemorates the 30th anniversary of the French "Fête de la musique" (Music Day), which first took place in France in 1982 and has since spread to many other countries. The purpose of this all-night music celebration on the summer solstice is to promote music for amateur and professional musicians with free concerts open to the public.
Commemorative 2 euro coins from France
Commemorative 2 euro coins from France
Description: The inner part of the coin depicts a cheerful crowd (with the stylized image of a musical instrument and notes floating in the air) symbolizing the atmosphere of celebration on the Day of Music, which has been celebrated in France every summer solstice since 1981. The words Fête de la MUSIQUE and the date 21 JUIN 2011 appear in the centre of the drawing. At the top, slanting rightwards, are the words 30e ANNIVERSAIRE and the letters RF appear at the bottom. The twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring of the coin.
Reverse: left from the coin centre face value: 2, on the right inscription: EURO; in the background of the inscription a map of Europe; in the background of the map vertically six parallel lines ending on both sides with five-pointed stars (the reverse is common for all euro coins)
Issuing volume: 10 million coins
Date of issue: 21 June 2011
Face value: 2 euro
Diameter: 25.75 mm
Thickness: 2.2 mm
Weight: 8.5 gr
Composition: BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring Cupronickel (75% copper - 25% nickel clad on nickel core), center Nickel brass
€2 Edge Inscription: The French €2 coin edge inscription is 2, followed by two stars, repeated six times alternately upright and inverted.
Mint Location: Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint), in Pessac, France.
Mint Marks: Mintmark of the Paris Mint: a cornucopia. Located at the bottom center left, inner circle.
Mint Master Mark - Yves Sampo, the new head of the engraving workshop. Staying true to tradition, his “different” illustrates the teamwork spirit of the engraving workshop. So this signature depicts a pentagon with the letters AG, which stand for “Atelier de Gravure” (engraving workshop) and MP standing for “Monnaie de Paris et Pessac” inside it. The motif is completed by Yves Sampo’s own initials on either side of it. Located at the bottom center right, inner circle.
National Identification: Letters: 'RF'; République française (Republic of France).
Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day
The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is an annual music festival taking place on June 21 in cities around the world. It was created by the French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang.In October 1981, Maurice Fleuret became Director of Music and Dance at Minister of Culture Jack Lang’s request, and applied his reflections to the musical practice and its evolution: « the music everywhere and the concert nowhere« . When he discovered, in a 1982 study on the cultural habits of the French, that five million people, one child out of two, played a musical instrument, he began to dream of a way to bring people out on the streets. It first took place in 1982 in Paris as the Fête de la Musique.
Ever since, the festival has become an international phenomenon, celebrated on the same day in more than 460 cities in 110 countries, including Germany, Italy, Egypt, Syria, Morocco, South Africa, Australia, Vietnam, Congo, Cameroon, Mauritius, Fiji, Colombia, Chile, Nepal, and Japan.
Its purpose is to promote music in two ways:
Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets. The slogan Faites de la musique (Make music), a homophone of Fête de la Musique, is used to promote this goal.
Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public. Two of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organization in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and all performers donate their time for free. This is true of most participating cities, now, as well.
Despite there being a large tolerance about the performance of music by the general public of amateurs in public areas after usual hours, the noise restrictions still apply, and can cause some establishments to be forbidden to open and broadcast music out of their doors without prior authorization. So the prefectures of police in France can still forbid them to install any audio hardware in the street.