"The Best Come from Boston”
The BSO’s stage manager and baggage master from 1929 till his death in 1962, Harvey Genereux was also an accomplished baton maker. He shaved wooden dowels down into the appropriate heft and length, uniquely crafted to suit the preferences of each baton's recipient. Serge Koussevitzky and Charles Munch were among the conductors who owned a Genereux baton. In the fall of 2021, Harvey Genereux's son, George Genereux, donated memorabilia related to his father's long tenure with the BSO to the BSO Archives, serving as inspiration for this exhibit. Harvey's nephew Matt Genereux also donated a collection of dowels and finished batons to the BSO Archives.
Harvey Genereux inspects a wooden dowel in the process of becoming a baton.
Photograph by David Nilsson (News Foto Service).
A Baton Comes to Life
Harvey Genereux sands a wooden dowel while surrounded by his baton making tools.
Photograph by John Brook.
Harvey Genereux shaves down a wooden dowel with a carpenter’s plane as he begins to craft a baton.
Photograph by David Nilsson (News Foto Service).
Wooden dowels and finished batons donated to the BSO Archives by Harvey's nephew.
Gift courtesy of Matt Genereux.
A Harvey Genereux baton made for Serge Koussevitzky.
Image courtesy of the BSO Archives.
Autographed portrait of Serge Koussevitzky.
Photographer unknown.
A magazine clipping tells the story of Harvey Genereux’s baton making process.
Boston Post Magazine, February 22, 1948, gift of George Genereux, 2021
A Harvey Genereux baton made especially for Charles Munch.
Image courtesy of the BSO Archives.
Portrait of Charles Munch conducting.
Photographer unknown.
Harvey Genereux repairs violins in the upper level of the BSO library.
Photograph gift of George Genereux
Boston Globe critic Cyrus Durgin’s obituary for Harvey Genereux included anecdotes relating his extraordinary efforts in shepherding BSO baggage to myriad destinations on tour.
(Boston Globe, February 13, 1962)