Marie Reno

Tchaikovsky Research
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American correspondent of Tchaikovsky (b. 17 March 1841 [N.S.] in Cologne; d. 29 October 1915 [N.S.] in Rome), born Sara Kaufmann, sometimes known after her marriage as Sarah Marie Reno.

Marie was the wife of Morris Reno, a real-estate broker and notable figure in New York musical circles, with whom she had three daughters: Anna (1865–1929), Maud Paula (1868–1909) and Alice Leonora (b. 1871) It was apparently at Marie's suggestion that Leopold Damrosch founded the city's Oratorio Society in 1873. When Tchaikovsky visited New York in 1891 to conduct at the opening night of the new Music Hall (now Carnegie Hall), which was managed by Morris Reno, the Renos hosted a dinner party in their guest's honour. The following day Tchaikovsky wrote in English to Mrs Reno to express his thanks for her hospitality for the evening: "... with you and your so sympatical [sic] daughters. I hope it was not the last time!" [1]. After his return to Russia, Tchaikovsky remained in contact with Marie Reno by letter.

Correspondence with Tchaikovsky

5 letters from Tchaikovsky to Marie Reno have survived, dating from 1891 and 1892, of which those highlighted in bold have been translated into English on this website:

2 letters from Marie Reno to Tchaikovsky, dating from 1891 to 1892, are preserved in the Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve at Klin (a4, Nos. 3792 and 3796).

Notes and References

  1. Letter 4368a from Tchaikovsky to Marie Reno, 17/29 April 1891.