The Buzz

A Milestone for the Archives — With Big Changes to Come As the New York Philharmonic’s Archives celebrates its 25th anniversary, it launches a forward-thinking project to preserve and make available its treasure trove — digitally. Erik Ryding uncovers the behind-the-scenes story. CHRIS LEE

Photographer Ardon Bar Hama at work on the digitization project, with Shelby White, founding trustee of the Leon Levy Foundation, and Philharmonic Archivist/Historian Barbara Haws and Director, Information Technology, Elizabeth Cahill

he Philharmonic has always saved its history,” says Barbara Haws, Enter Barbara Haws, a historian professionally trained as an archivist, who Archivist/Historian of the New York Philharmonic. “We’ve always had jumped at the opportunity to head the most extensive orchestral archive in the “Ta really grand idea of our own importance.” Indeed. Consider this: in its world. “I have the greatest job,” she says. She supervised the design of the state- first season, consisting of a whopping three concerts, the Philharmonic Society of-the-art new Archives in the Rose Building, which opened in 1991, and, after issued a printed annual report. a quarter of a century on the job, she plainly hasn’t lost any of her initial excite- That was in 1842. Those guys were thinking ahead. ment. Zubin Mehta, the Philharmonic’s Music Director when she began, recently From that point on, the Philharmonic saved every program and preserved key commented: “Looking back at Barbara Haws’s accomplishments over the last 25 information about what the Orchestra played, where it played, when it played, years, one can only conclude that she was the right person to oversee the organi- and who played what. They even gathered data on their audience, keeping track zation and development of this incredible treasure. That she is a walking encyclo- of who bought what tickets. pedia is common knowledge. That she is also one of the New York Philharmonic’s Before the Philharmonic moved to Lincoln Center in the early 1960s, the greatest enthusiasts and its number-one fan is not exactly a disadvantage.” Orchestra’s librarians and other caretakers stored valuable artifacts in their offices My own acquaintance with the Archives and Ms. Haws began in the mid- wherever there was room. Some sublime creations wound up in less-than- 1990s, when my wife and I were researching the life of the conductor Bruno sublime surroundings: according to an old record book, one score was squirreled Walter. A tentative call to the Archives elicited an instant invitation to visit the away “on the shelf in the toilet room.” By 1984 the scores, letters, batons, ledgers, collection. “You’re writing on Bruno Walter?” she said. “Well, you’d better have a recordings, and countless other treasures that constituted the Orchestra’s history look at what we have.” filled up 1,000 boxes that were stored in the drab, windowless basement of What they had, along with his much-worn conducting jacket, was a stash Avery Fisher Hall. They needed a new home and a full-time custodian. of some 800 letters and other items unavailable anywhere else. They afforded

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Three images that will be made internationally available through this project. Left: Bernstein with Court musicians in Japan, 1961. Right: Bernstein’s annotated score of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, and Bruno Walter’s letter

discussing Furtwängler COURTESY NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ARCHIVES

priceless insights into his personality, his thoughts on music, and his frank opinions musicians, and educators joined Ms. Haws to discuss where to begin this monu- about some of his colleagues (such as this, on his rival Wilhelm Furtwängler: “he is mental project. They decided to start with the years 1943–1970, the Orchestra’s a weak person, ambitious, jealous, egocentric — but he is no Nazi, tried his best to “International Era” that included Leonard Bernstein’s artistic leadership, the help Jews in their need, … and he certainly cannot be considered a moral leper”). creation of Lincoln Center, and the rise of the Philharmonic as an international Ms. Haws led us through the papers, called our attention to useful items in touring orchestra. out-of-the-way places, and eased what had seemed to be the daunting task of Master photographer Ardon Bar Hama is coming to the Archives to capture fishing out what we needed from the endless rows of boxes — all catalogued and each item in a high-resolution digital image that will allow readers to zoom in and neatly arranged on rolling shelves. catch details they might miss even in the original. The 1943–1970 phase alone Now, I love handling old letters and get a rush from visiting “special collec- will involve 1.3 million images. Then a team of music and history students will tag tions,” but if you need to consult a collection for days or weeks or months at a each folder, score, program, and photograph with key phrases and dates, and time, you’ve got a problem, unless you’re blessed with Robert Langdon’s expense provide transcriptions of important handwritten items. You’ll be able to check a account. Traveling and taking time off from work will cost you. name — say, “Shostakovich” — against the Archives’ online collections, and imme- All that is changing now, thanks in part to a new project spearheaded by Ms. diately find every occurrence in thousands of pages, as well as relevant photos, Haws. With a $2.4 million grant from the Leon Levy Foundation, the Archives is contracts, marked scores, press clippings, recordings, video footage, and other about to embark on an exhilarating new venture: digitizing its entire collection and related paraphernalia. making it available online to any reader with access to the Internet — any time, any This project is a game changer. With performers, scholars, teachers, jour- place. Shelby White, founding trustee of the Leon Levy Foundation, said about nalists, and other interested readers in Helsinki or Kansas City or Tokyo mining the project, “My husband, Leon, grew up in New York and loved going to hear the the Philharmonic’s rich history day and night, our collective knowledge will grow New York Philharmonic. I am delighted that the Leon Levy Foundation can help exponentially. Remember those 1990s visions of the information superhighway? make available to thousands around the world this magnificent collection. Using Archive lovers, get ready to pull into the fast lane. groundbreaking technology, the digitized pages on the screen look almost better than the originals!” Formerly senior editor of publications at Carnegie Hall, Erik Ryding is co-author, with Rebecca In the summer of 2008 a panel of students historians, librarians, journalists, Pechefsky, of the award-winning biography Bruno Walter: A World Elsewhere.

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