The epistolary dialogue of Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is material evidence of the unique friendship between the two extraordinary people. Although they maintained a mutually important relationship for almost 14 years — from 1876 to 1890 — they never met and communicated exclusively by correspondence.

Tchaikovsky, in a letter to his publisher at the end of the 1880s, characterized Nadezhda von Meck as follows,

However, in 1877, in one of his letters to his brother, Tchaikovsky was more emotional, “Kindness, elegance, generosity, and boundless magnanimity have never been embodied to such an extent in any person, as in her. I owe her not only my life, but also the fact that I can continue to work, and this is more important for me than life.”

Nadezhda von Meck came to the composer’s aid during his “crisis of 1877” caused by an unsuccessful marriage. Thanks to her financial support, Tchaikovsky was able to devote himself entirely to music. More than once he had the opportunity to work in a comfortable environment in her Moscow home, as well as her Brailov and Simaki estates. Tchaikovsky dedicated his Symphony No. 4 (the first psychological drama in the history of music) and his Suite No. 1 (without announcing it) to this extraordinary woman.

The letter dated October 30, 1878 is from an early period of friendship between Tchaikovsky and von Meck. In the early years, the correspondence between the composer and his “best friend” breathed sublime, trembling feelings. Later the tone of their letters became calmer and more habitual. In this letter, Nadezhda wrote to him from Florence and offered to come visit the city for a while. At the same time, she delicately asked not to accept the invitation if the family situation required Tchaikovsky to stay with his relatives in Kamenka.