Tchaikovsky's primary patron was a wealthy railroad magnate's widow. She supported him financially with an annual stipend of 6,000 rubles for 13 years, allowing him to quit teaching and compose full-time, under the unusual condition that they never meet in person.
I'd long known that this great composer had been supported by a wealthy patron, and that they agreed to never met, but it was news to me when I learned (while researching this story) that they had an extensive correspondence. During those 13 years they exchanged more than 1200 letters. That's almost 100 letters a year, or 92 to be more precise.
Who was this woman? Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck (1831–1894) was one of the wealthiest women in Russia. She married Karl von Meck, who built a fortune developing Russia's expanding railway system. (Russia's equivalent of Cornelius Vanderbilt.) When von Meck died in 1876, she inherited his immense fortune and controlled a vast business empire.
In the mid-1870s Tchaikovsky was becoming recognized in Russian musical circles, but he was hardly wealthy. Von Meck first became acquainted with his music through her resident musicians. She was deeply moved by it and soon commissioned him to arrange several pieces for violin and piano for her household performances.
Another thing I just learned. I'd always believed that it was Tchaikovsky who created the condition that they never meet. It turns out that it was von Meck because she feared that meeting would destroy the idealized friendship they had built through letters.
What did they discuss in their correspondence? Music, of course, but much more. Literature, philosophy, religion, illness, depression, travel, family, artistic struggles and daily life were all recurring themes. He purportedly confessed thoughts to her that he revealed to almost no one else.
One reason this topic interested me this week is that I have many times over the decades thought about how valuable this woman must have been to Tchaikovsky, and how the world for 150 years has been enriched by his incredible catalog that includes The 1812 Overture, The Nutcracker Suite, piano masterpieces, concertos and six symphonies.
The thing is, you don't have to be J.P. Morgan or the Vandebilts or the Rockefellers or Elon, or Bill Gates to make a difference in another life. Even if you can't support artists, authors or musicians as an ongoing subsidy, you can purchase their work or simply give them encouragement.
Although it's true that we have foundations and grants for the arts, somehow it's the personal human interaction that really adds meaning to the artist-patron relationship.
Money isn't the only thing aspiring artists may benefit from. Mentors play an invaluable role in many artists' and writers' lives. My career as a writer was greatly advanced by a professional writer, John Prin, who took me under his wing when I was first starting out. Whether in the arts or in business, mentors often play a critical role in getting one's feet on the first rungs of the ladder.
As a writer I've sought to shine a spotlight on local artists whose work I've admired. The impact of Robert Shelton's review of Bob Dylan is legendary. Dylan was doing a two week residency at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village. Shelton was a reporter for the New York Times whose review appeared in print on September 29, 1961 in which he wrote that a "bright new face in folk music" was in town.
Bottom Line: You can make a difference. Encouragement is nourishment, and hope is what keeps us going.
