Carnegie Hall Seeks Mementos as 100th Birthday Approaches : Musical, Cultural and Political History Taking Shape at Venerable N.Y. Site

A most ambitious collectible project is taking shape at historic Carnegie Hall, that venerable window into musical, cultural and political history in midtown Manhattan at Seventh Avenue and 57th Street.

As the concert hall approaches its 100th birthday--its opening concert was on May 5, 1891, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky conducting one of his own works--the hall’s archivist, Gino Francesconi, is assembling a striking range of memorabilia reflecting the legendary institution’s past.

“Every day, we’re finding out something new about the place,” Francesconi said in a telephone interview.

“In 1986, we started out with practically nothing in an effort to accumulate 100 years’ worth of stuff,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve done too badly. The most important thing is to get the word out. Most of the material is still in private hands.”

Hunt for Items

Francesconi, who has placed ads in general-interest and trade publications in his search for Carnegie Hall collectibles, still is seeking a number of items, including programs, posters, musical manuscripts, correspondence and a potpourri of musicians’ possessions, including batons and instruments.

The rapidly growing collection will be displayed at five locations in Manhattan from September, 1990, to May, 1991, he said. Locations include the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, the International Center of Photography, the J. Pierpont Morgan Library, the Society of American Illustrators and the Museum of Broadcasting.

Additionally, shortly after the hall’s anniversary date, a small Carnegie Hall museum will be opened adjacent to the concert hall in the 59-story Carnegie Hall Tower, still under construction.

Francesconi’s assistant archivist, Jill Vetter, said that in the area of collectible programs, three distinct gaps were found in their collection: 1892-97; 1929-32; and 1944-46.

But there’s a lot more being sought, she made clear. For example, Vetter said, “we’d love to get a poster of the 1938 Benny Goodman concert,” a reference to a classic jazz performance by the late swing musician. “His daughter donated a Goodman clarinet to us.”

A number of batons connected with famous conductors also have been located. Included are those used by Sir Georg Solti, Eugene Ormandy, George Szell and Arturo Toscanini.

Currently, the two archivists’ No. 1 collectible priority is locating the posters of Carnegie Hall attractions printed before 1960, when the city of New York purchased the property.

The problem with finding such posters, said San Anselmo collector-dealer Ada Fitzsimmons (Paper Pile Quarterly, Box 337, San Anselmo, Calif. 94950), is that “not too many were made” and that they were simply tacked up around town--and then lost.

Fitzsimmons, who designed for Francesconi an advertisement requesting Carnegie Hall memorabilia, sold the archivist four programs she had in her collection, from the years 1897-98, for $12-$15 each, she said.

Among the most elusive memorabilia, Francesconi said, is correspondence between Morris Reno, the first president of Carnegie Hall, and Tchaikovsky, who spent 25 days in the United States in 1891, a period that generated letters, diaries and manuscripts linked to his performance there.

Francesconi recently returned from Moscow, where he has been negotiating for some original Tchaikovsky documents to be lent to Carnegie Hall for the centennial celebration. But, he lamented, “we still have no Reno correspondence.”

Although Carnegie Hall has been an institution for almost a century, surprisingly its administrators did not pay much attention to preserving its history until two years ago, when they tapped Francesconi to be their archivist.

Right for the Job

The 35-year-old San Franciscan-turned-New Yorker was ideally suited for the job: A backstage attendant at Carnegie Hall for a decade, Francesconi also plays piano, studied at San Francisco’s Conservatory of Music and New York’s Juilliard School, and, of course, dreams of one day conducting a symphony in his second home.

But for now, his all-consuming passion is to build the Carnegie Hall collection.

“There are people taking bets I may spend the rest of my life here,” he quipped. “I’ve become almost obsessed with this.”

He said he wanted to underscore that many of the colorful items being sought were not connected with musical events there.

Robert E. Peary, Carl Sandburg, Ogden Nash, Albert Einstein and Amelia Earhart were among the hundreds of historic personalities who appeared at the hall. Political figures such as Teddy Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon used its stage for political speeches.

Francesconi said he has funds to buy Carnegie Hall memorabilia, but “would love to have them donated.” Moreover, he said, he could borrow collections anonymously, if that is the wish of donors.

Francesconi’s telephone number is (212) 903-9629. The address: Carnegie Hall Archives, 881 7th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019.