Have you ever seen a castle? Pretty impressive, isn't it? Expensive as hell, too. And only possible in a society where at least a few people have ridiculously more than their "fair share" of resources.

The robber barons built castles around the turn of the century. I once toured Hearst Castle in San Simeon. The indoor pool with alabaster lights, gold leaf, marble tile ... simply amazing.

But no one can afford to own it. When Hearst split his estate among his children, none of them could afford the maintenance on it. Now that it's a museum, the state barely makes enough on tour fees to keep it from deteriorating worse than it already has.



So what's this have to do with music?

The robber barons kept a lot of craftsmen busy for a lot of years working on their places. Then the U.S. passed anti-monopoly laws. The market for alabaster carvers went way down.

Sure, I'd like to see some nice sculpture, but if there aren't wealthy patrons, no one can afford to learn the trade. And sure, I like orchestral music. I hope wealthy patrons keep liking it, too. Because I sure as hell can't afford to pay a couple of hundred people to dedicate their lives to it.