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Deceptive CadenceFrom NPR Classical

120 Years At Carnegie Hall

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Cellist Pablo Casals, violinist Fritz Kreisler, pianist Harold Bauer and conductor Walter Damrosch in 1904. Enlarge image i

Cellist Pablo Casals, violinist Fritz Kreisler, pianist Harold Bauer and conductor Walter Damrosch in 1904.

Blaine Littell Collection of Walter Damrosch Memorabilia / Carnegie Hall Archives
Cellist Pablo Casals, violinist Fritz Kreisler, pianist Harold Bauer and conductor Walter Damrosch in 1904.

Cellist Pablo Casals, violinist Fritz Kreisler, pianist Harold Bauer and conductor Walter Damrosch in 1904.

Blaine Littell Collection of Walter Damrosch Memorabilia / Carnegie Hall Archives
  • 1868: Two decades before Carnegie Hall was built, the area was full of shacks and horse-drawn buses. Now, we know it as Sixth Avenue.
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    1868: Two decades before Carnegie Hall was built, the area was full of shacks and horse-drawn buses. Now, we know it as Sixth Avenue.
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    All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 1891: The program from the first series of concerts ever given at Carnegie Hall. The series included several appearances by Tchaikovsky as a guest conductor, who led a performance of his Piano Concerto No. 1 with Adele Aus der Ohe as soloist.
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    1891: The program from the first series of concerts ever given at Carnegie Hall. The series included several appearances by Tchaikovsky as a guest conductor, who led a performance of his Piano Concerto No. 1 with Adele Aus der Ohe as soloist.
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    All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 1904: Richard Strauss' New York recital, a year before his opera Salome was closed down after one performance at the Metropolitan Opera: "Many Disgusted by the Dance and the Kissing of the Dead Head," as the New York Times noted at the time.
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    1904: Richard Strauss' New York recital, a year before his opera Salome was closed down after one performance at the Metropolitan Opera: "Many Disgusted by the Dance and the Kissing of the Dead Head," as the New York Times noted at the time.
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    All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 1904: A photo commemorating cellist Pablo Casals' first appearance at Carnegie Hall. Alongside violinist Fritz Kreisler and pianist Harold Bauer, he played in a New York Symphony Society performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto led by Walter Damrosch.
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    1904: A photo commemorating cellist Pablo Casals' first appearance at Carnegie Hall. Alongside violinist Fritz Kreisler and pianist Harold Bauer, he played in a New York Symphony Society performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto led by Walter Damrosch.
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    Blaine Littell Collection of Walter Damrosch Memorabilia/Carnegie Hall Archives/All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 1912: A concert to raise funds for the Colored Music Settlement School was conducted by James Reese Europe, who later served as a lieutenant in World War I as a member of the Harlem Hellfighters.
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    1912: A concert to raise funds for the Colored Music Settlement School was conducted by James Reese Europe, who later served as a lieutenant in World War I as a member of the Harlem Hellfighters.
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    All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 1942: Jazz found a home early on at Carnegie Hall; a three-time visitor was Fats Waller, who in this concert played both on a Steinway piano and on a Hammond organ.
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    1942: Jazz found a home early on at Carnegie Hall; a three-time visitor was Fats Waller, who in this concert played both on a Steinway piano and on a Hammond organ.
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    Paul Smith/Carnegie Hall Archives/All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 1943: A flyer advertising violinist Isaac Stern's first Carnegie Hall recital. Decades later, Stern was one of the driving forces in the campaign to save Carnegie Hall from demolition in 1960. Today, the main hall is named after him.
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    1943: A flyer advertising violinist Isaac Stern's first Carnegie Hall recital. Decades later, Stern was one of the driving forces in the campaign to save Carnegie Hall from demolition in 1960. Today, the main hall is named after him.
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    All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • Time backstage for members of the New York Philharmonic to indulge in a quick game of chess.
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    Time backstage for members of the New York Philharmonic to indulge in a quick game of chess.
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    Courtesy of the Lucien Aigner Family Collection/All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 1963: Bob Dylan faces an empty house before his first concert as a Carnegie Hall headliner in October of that year. His set list that night included "The Times They Are A-Changin" and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall."
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    1963: Bob Dylan faces an empty house before his first concert as a Carnegie Hall headliner in October of that year. His set list that night included "The Times They Are A-Changin" and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall."
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    Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment/All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 1964: A signed momento from The Beatles' two 35-minute sets at Carnegie Hall on February 12, a night squeezed in between their legendary appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
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    1964: A signed momento from The Beatles' two 35-minute sets at Carnegie Hall on February 12, a night squeezed in between their legendary appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
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    All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 1983: A youthful Yo-Yo Ma and ebullient Emanuel Ax beam with pleasure during a duo recital.
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    1983: A youthful Yo-Yo Ma and ebullient Emanuel Ax beam with pleasure during a duo recital.
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    Steve J. Sherman/Carnegie Hall Archives/All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.
  • 2009: An all-star team comprised of dozens of the 21st century's most exciting new music performers gathered for one night to perform Terry Riley's groundbreaking In C in honor of the piece's 45th anniversary.
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    2009: An all-star team comprised of dozens of the 21st century's most exciting new music performers gathered for one night to perform Terry Riley's groundbreaking In C in honor of the piece's 45th anniversary.
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    All images courtesy of Carnegie Hall Archives unless otherwise noted.

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Carnegie Hall celebrates its 120th anniversary today. From its origins as a showpiece of industrialist Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy to its status now as one of the finest concert venues, this hall became a mecca for classical, jazz and pop artists — and fans — from all over the world. Archival images, collected in the new book Carnegie Hall Treasures, trace this incredible history.

Featured Artist

Arthur Rubinstein

Explore Arthur Rubinstein's full NPR Archive

Yo-Yo Ma

Explore Yo-Yo Ma's full NPR Archive

Explore Terry Riley's full NPR Archive

Explore Richard Strauss's full NPR Archive

Explore Isaac Stern's full NPR Archive

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Deceptive CadenceFrom NPR Classical