Steve Schwartz wrote:

>Robert Floyd:
>
>>If we can take a lesson from history, perhaps it's time to return to the
>>era of patronage.  Until the 19th Century (more or less), many composers
>>were supported by royal patronage.  While I don't believe we'll see the
>>NEA, or any other government body, acting in that role, why not look to
>>the true sources of power and influence in this country: the corporations?
>
>Well, unfortunately, this has already happened.  Corporations have been
>giving money to arts organizations for years, and the arts are still in
>precarious shape.  I have no idea what the answer is, but I suspect that
>someone other than a few weirdos are going to have to want serious art
>to the point where they're willing to pay for it.

I do believe that there is a major difference when one compares patronage
of say Haydn's time and today.  These days, those that often provide
patronage are not informed in the art of music.  Many of the patrons of
times past were versed in the art and often participated in performances.

In our time I think of Elizabeth Coolidge who composed and Ima Hogg
who was quite informed in music, patrons who accomplished great things.
I recall a story about Miss Ima, as she was called...when Stokowski
introduced Ives' Unanswered Question to Houston, he played it twice.  A
friend of mine was seated next to Miss Ima.  She turned to him and said,
"I told the maestro to play it twice!" Clearly these women were exceptions
to the rule.

No doubt we all know that corporate support often comes with a price tag
of its own.  I chair the development committee of our local chamber music
center.  One of the companies we met with stated up front that they would
only support activities which would provide them with visability within
the community.  In short, they saw it as advertizing, a bit like having
your company's logo on a racing car.  If you are "successful" you can
attract corporate support, but then often times the measure of "success"
by business standards is to address as wide an audience as possible.
Marketing a non-proft to corporations includes submitting demographics
of your audience.  If you can tell them that most of your audience makes
over $100,000 a year...that helps. No doubt this fosters the notion that
an arts organization needs to address an audience that is likely to
attract corporate support, an audience which might not necessarily be
the most informed in the arts.

Writing the above, I was reminded of the programs for our local symphony.
There is always a photograph of a representative of the corporate
underwriter for the concert standing next to the conductor and/or soloist.
Interestingly, you never see any of the orchestra members in those
photographs or at the receptions.

Fortunately their are private Foundations. One is more likely to encounter
an informed patron there.

Karl