"I almost always know how much money I have": Tchaikovsky and the Market for Classical Music in Nineteenth Century Russia

Talk by Philip R. Bullock (Paris IAS fellow) within the framework of the conference "Genius for Sale!" at the Brandeis University.

Presentation

Although many of the myths surrounding Tchaikovsky's life have been dispelled by recent scholarship, one still remains - that of his financial incompetence. Yet as Russia's first professional composer, Tchaikovsky operated in a rapidly evolving context of new musical institutions - public concerts, state theatres, opera houses and publishers - and he did so astutely and successfully. This paper, drawing on rarely examined archival documents, will seek to establish the sources of Tchaikovsky's considerable wealth, as well as examining how his relationship with his publisher, Pyotr Jurgenson, can be interpreted for the light that it sheds on his creative activity.

More informations (Brandeis University website)