Steve Schwartz writes:

>People complain about composers who make too much money, as if we can't
>get out of our heads the picture of the pure-souled artist, the Muse's
>acolyte, starving in his garret.  We conveniently forget about Beethoven,
>Brahms, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, and Richard Strauss.

And Julia Wertheimer continues:

>This set me thinking.  Of the six composers cited by Steve, four
>concentrated mainly on opera.  I wonder if, historically, opera composers
>have tended to make more money from their music than symphonic composers?
>Perhaps they tend to be better businessmen!

I can't speak to the others, but in reading Verdi's biography I was
struck by the amount of time, energy and aggravation he spent on the
business aspects of opera production.  Interestingly, Julian Budden points
out that it wasn't until mid century that publisher Francesco Lucca changed
the way operas were brought to the public.  He writes:

   "His most farseeing innovation, however, had been to initiate a system
   whereby the composer would contract directly with the publisher who
   would in return take the responsibility for placing it in a suitable
   theater and relieve the composer of all practical dealings with the
   management." (p.35)

Verdi, himself, used this method for three operas published by Lucca and
for two subsequently brought out by Ricordi.  However, following Rigoletto
he reverted to the old system for a while before being coaxed back to the
house of Ricordi.

In addition to the need to attend to the business affairs of production,
opera composers had to pay close attention to the merits (and faults) of
the singers engaged for the premieres of their operas.  It is fascinating
to read about the concessions they had to make to accomodate this soprano
or that tenor.  It strikes me that in a way this is not unlike the
restrictions that the frameworks of a film put on a composer's creativity.
I'm sure that at some point, art turns into craft as some have argued in
this thread.  Still, when I listen to the wonderful music Verdi composed,
I forget about all he had to put up with to bring it to us.  And I don't
begrudge him one penny.

BTW, a final note about Verdi the businessman that may be of interest.
One of his enduring legacies was to establish a retirement home for
impoversished aged musicians which is still in operation to this day.

Ed