Varvara Taneyeva
Mother of the composer Sergey Taneyev (b. 1822; d. 1889), born Varvara Pavlovna Protopopova (Варвара Павловна Протопопова); known after her marriage as Varvara Pavlovna Taneyeva (Варвара Павловна Танеева).
Varvara was married to Ivan Ilyich Taneyev (1796–1879), a state councillor, master of literature, doctor, and amateur musician. After her son Sergey (1856–1915) was appointed professor at the Moscow Conservatory in 1878, she hosted formal dinners at his house, usually twice a month, with her son's colleagues (including Tchaikovsky) as guests.
Correspondence with Tchaikovsky
One letter from Tchaikovsky to Varvara Taneyeva has survived, dating from 1878, and has been translated into English on this website:
- Letter 792 – 17/29 March 1878, from Clarens
Two letters from Varvara Taneyeva to Tchaikovsky (one written jointly with the Maslov family, and another with her son Sergey), dating from 1878 and 1886, are preserved in the Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve at Klin (a4, Nos. 2388 and 4401).
