Carnegie Hall's History & Facts

Giving a performance at Carnegie Hall is a life-cherished dream for every musician, not only for its finest architecture and breathtaking acoustics, but more importantly for the pride of being ranked among numerous world-class musicians who have performed on the same stage. During its century-plus history, Carnegie Hall has played host to a surprisingly large number of concerts, both classical and popular, and nearly every prestigious American musician as well as those from overseas has performed here, like Leonard Bernstein, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Chris Thile, etc.

During the following 25 years after its completion, Carnegie Hall strived to be one of the most important concert venues in the world. It is roughly estimated that over 85,000 events have contributed to the permanent popularity of Carnegie Hall. In order to help you gain a better understanding about this national landmark, our article will offer you an overall introduction to this arena.

Carnegie Hall on Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Hall

Carnegie Hall's Official Page

http://www.carnegiehall.org/SiteCode/Intro.aspx

Brief History

Just as Andrew Carnegie said when laying cornerstone in 1890, Carnegie Hall "will intertwine itself with the history" of America. His words have been justified and the hall is always boasting its rich history. The hall was designed in Neo-Italian Renaissance style by William Burnet Tuthill, and the construction started in 1890, without a steel frame. Today, Carnegie Hall is among the last constructions in New York completely out of masonry. In1962 Carnegie Hall was designated as a National Historic Landmark and in 1967 as a New York City Landmark. The hall was designed in Neo-Italian Renaissance style by William Burnet Tuthill.

The original name of Carnegie Hall was "Music Hall" and changed to "Carnegie Hall" in 1893, named after philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who paid for the construction. The hall was officially opened on May 5, 1891, with a concert given by maestro Walter Damrosch and composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The hall was owned by Carnegie family until 1925 when it was sold to Robert E. Simon, a real estate dealer. During the mid-1950s, New York Philharmonic bought the venue from the son of Simon. For that moment, orchestra was declining and New York Philharmonic planned to move to Lincoln Center. So around 1960, New York Philharmonic sold the hall to a commercial developer, and the building was about to be demolished to make way for a business skyscraper. However, a group of musicians and artists led by violinist Isaac Stern carried on a protest against the project, and finally, they managed to have a special legislation passed which made the city of New York buy the property from the Simon. In 1960, a non-profit organization Carnegie Hall Corporation was formed to operate the hall.

Interactive Timeline of Carnegie Hall

http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/the_basics/HallHistory.aspx

Features & Highlights

Carnegie Hall highlights three separate halls for different types of performance, the Carnegie Hall Archives, the Rose Museum, plus a number of studios added around the turn of the 20th century.

Three Stages in Carnegie Hall

http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/the_basics/art_overview.html

Rose Museum & Archives

http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/the_basics/art_museum_archives.html

- Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage

This is the largest hall of Carnegie Hall and was opened in 1891. Through hundreds of years, this hall has witnessed the world's best conductors, soloists and ensembles, and offered venues for top jazz events, important lectures, outstanding educational forums and many more. Named after the violinist Isaac Stern in 1997, this main hall was also dedicated the Ronald O. Perelman Stage in 2006. Now this main hall is known as the most noted concert stage in the US.

- Joan and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall

Originally known as Chamber Music Hall, this auditorium is located on the third level of Carnegie Hall. In 1940s the name was changed to Carnegie Recital Hall. In 1986, it was renamed after the chairman of Carnegie Hall's board Sanford I. Weill and his wife Joan and finally became Joan and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall. Weill Recital Hall has 268 seats and is ideal for chamber music concerts, discussions, symposia, and master classes, etc.

- Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall

The history of this hall deserves a good discussion. It was first auditorium opened to public in 1891 and at that moment, it was called simply as Recital Hall. After the renovation in 1896, the name was changed to Carnegie Lyceum. By 1959, it was converted into a cinema. Finally in 1997, it was reclaimed the original purpose as an auditorium with 599 seats. This hall underwent a complete reconstruction and reopened in 2003 as Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall, to show the honor for Arthur Zankel, Carnegie Hall Vice Chairman, and his wife, Judy. This hall is mainly used for performing and educational events.

- Carnegie Hall Archives

The Archives was established in 1991, to document the significant and varied history of Carnegie Hall, including every event held in three halls, the construction and renovation of the building and much more. Carnegie Hall Archives comprise more than 2,500 square feet documents, along with a luxuriously illustrated souvenir program and more.

Fun Facts about Carnegie Hall

The first African-American to sing at Carnegie Hall is Sissieretta Jones who gave a performance on June, 15, 1892, making Carnegie Hall the first major venue in the nation to host the biracial music concert.

The first rock and roll music staging at Carnegie Hall was Bill Haley and his Comets on May 6, 1955. Thereafter, rock acts began to come to the hall frequently and saw its blossom after the two shows by The Beatles in 1964.

There is a wide-known joke about Carnegie Hall which is even quoted on the website of Carnegie Hall, and no one knows whether it is true. It says as follows: one day, a pedestrian on 57th Street, Manhattan, stopped a passerby and asked, "Could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" And the latter answered, "Yes. Practice!"

Actually, the passerby the man stopped was Jascha Heifetz, one of the greatest violinists of all time. This joke has become a part of the folklore of Carnegie Hall, and there are many variations about it. The band Sparks even sing a song called "How Do I Get to Carnegie Hall?" in their album of 2002 inspired by this joke.