Where are the patrons of classical music?

About a couple of decades ago, a young friend -at that time, a prodigious talent in what we mistakenly call "classical music"- asked me for help to pay for a new instrument. One suffers the misfortune of having a half-Yankee soul in a stubbornly Catalan country (in the Anglo-Saxon universe, partly thanks to substantial tax advantages, wealthy people are more than accustomed to pulling out their wallets to pay for a Guarnieri for brilliant children, to digging into their pockets to improve the acoustics of an auditorium, and so on). Absolutely ignorant of monetary matters, as my persistent credit life certifies, I decided to introduce him to an acquaintance, a very distinguished gentleman from Barcelona and a great patron of art (mostly pictorial). Accustomed to spending tons of money on Nonells, Guinovarts, and other illustrious Catalan painters, I thought rather naively that he would find some amusement in acting as a pillar in the career of a promising talent.

When, accompanied by my colleague, we proposed the purchase of this instrument... the person in question looked at us as if we had suggested financing a drug trafficker's boat. In fact, I remember that -displaying his usual sly honesty- our homenot blurted out: "and what do I get out of buying a violin?". Well, this answer was not entirely the fault of our illustrious interlocutor, a man of extreme sensitivity, but it does show the thinking of a large part of our affluent classes, for whom having a Barceló at home allows them to show off to friends and act as a disinterested philanthropist... while commissioning a symphony or funding a musician's training means throwing money down the drain. If we elevate the fact to a category, the anecdote also crudely portrays the soul of a country for which sound heritage is not something that needs resources.

As the splendid monograph that our Post has dedicated to patronage has shown, contemporary Catalan culture could not be explained without the initiative of philanthropists who -during the cultural explosion of Modernisme and Noucentisme- thought that nations are not only propped up by sentimental discourse... but are basically defended with tons of greenbacks. For this reason, it is not surprising that the central power -thinking of our tribe- has exasperatingly delayed patronage laws that would not only make it easier for the wealthy class to deduct several million euros, but -again, thinking of America- would create a tradition of families who sweetly oblige themselves to dedicate part of their fortune to the cultural strengthening of their country. The law seems to be coming soon, but that "soon" has been repeated for years.

In this sense, it would be necessary for the musical institutions of the tribe to make an effort to remind our bourgeoisie (currently, it must be said, with actors of rather limited musical knowledge...) that buying an installation by Eulàlia Valldosera or a ceramic by Barceló is a magnificent help to artists and the country, but that helping Joan Magrané to write a symphony or Ramon Humet to imagine an opera would be even more beneficial for everyone. This would also apply to the career of our performers, through the acquisition of instruments, the organization of auditions and private concerts. By this I am not just talking about afluixar la mosca, but about weaving an intimate relationship with the career of creators who need economic support that will never come from the administration, often very generous with large facilities but absolutely deaf when it comes to supporting creative agents.

You might think I'm writing nonsense, but when someone I know (whether wealthy or not) asks me what we could give someone for their birthday or another special occasion, I always answer the same thing; let's organize a concert for them! It's a practice I've devised many times and, in fact, many people are surprised that highly successful musicians in the country have no qualms about rolling up their sleeves to play a private concert at a much lower price than the fish or wine the diners are guzzling. As long as there are no proper patrons, let's dedicate ourselves to doing their job and act as small patrons, even if it's just with the simple effort of dedicating a bit more money to musicians than to designer pizzas. Think of your favorite performer; unfortunately, they play for a salary ten times lower than you imagine. And that's how our toupee looks...