Title: Opening Carnegie Hall: The Creation and First Performances of America’s Premier Concert Stage
Author: Carol J. Binkowski
Genre: Nonfiction – New York/Music History
Book Blurb:
Carnegie Hall is recognized worldwide, associated with the heights of artistic achievement and with a multitude of famous performers. Yet its beginnings are not so well known. In 1887, a chance encounter on a steamship bound for Europe brought young conductor Walter Damrosch together with millionaire philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and his new wife, Louise. Their subsequent friendship led to the building of this groundbreaking concert space. This book provides the first comprehensive account of the conception and building of Carnegie Hall, which culminated in a five-day opening festival in May 1891, featuring spectacular music, a host of performers and Tchaikovsky as a special guest conductor.
Excerpt:
Lights were blazing everywhere. Their high-wattage energy was matched only by the excitement of the crowd. Carriages choked the streets, impatience growing as the waiting line grew to the quarter-mile mark on West 57th Street. Their passengers were eager to arrive at their destination. “All was bustle”1 while the police officer on the street was having a tough time of it as the crowd continued to swell in number, their individual faces outlined with distinction in the splash of brilliant illumination. It was May 5th, and the new Music Hall was ready for its opening night. The cultural landscape of New York and the world would change forever.
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This eager audience had been waiting early on, and when the doors eventually opened, it was fortunate that the staff hired for the evening was comprised of Metropolitan Opera workers – all of them savvy in dealing with crowds. Otherwise, the atmosphere would have been totally chaotic.16 The seats were totally filled; and although tickets had long been sold out, some individuals bought admission at the door and “cheerfully stood” in any open space.17 Many did their best to bribe ushers to gain entrance to the Hall. Some were successful.18 Despite this seeming disorder, when everyone was inside, a certain air of dignity took hold. The crowd was in awe of its new surroundings.
The spectacular electric lighting was a continual topic of conversation on that evening and well beyond, praise going to its “4,000 electric lamps,” all well placed throughout.19 Additional accounts placed the number even higher. The beautiful illumination enhanced the decorations of “white, salmon, and gold,”20 and its cumulative effect on the total atmosphere was stunning. The lighting helped the audience to appreciate these visual aspects of the hall as they studied them from their comfortable seats – at least those who did manage to have secured seats.
Although the audience was well dressed and many in attendance were among the city’s more wealthy and notable, there was not the same emphasis on clothing and accessories alone that had been more traditionally prevalent at the opera. The attendees, however, certainly did cut admirable figures, and one newspaper deemed them “finer”21 overall than some opera crowds – it was, after all, opening night. However, the audience was particularly focused on the new hall, its music, and its special guest.
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All of the concert’s participants were assembled onstage long before the necessary time,40 and the space was an impressive sight filled with chorus and orchestra members. Three hundred women singers,41 all in “pure white” dress, occupied the five rows of raised seating42 in a curved formation.43 Later, Andrew Carnegie referred to them as an “array of beautiful angels.”44 Behind them were the two hundred members of the men’s chorus. The Symphony Society Orchestra occupied half the stage, forming a semi-circle around the conductor’s podium.45 Together, they produced an unforgettable and dramatic sight.
At 8:00 p.m., the signal for the beginning of the festivities was given – a flash of electric lights. The entire hall was illuminated, brilliantly spotlighting the well-arranged performers in a visually striking fashion. An audience observer later commented on the amazing power of the electric lights to heighten the effect of this total scene so that each chorus member seemed to be etched individually on the stage. Any movement or action – the wave of a hand or the nodding of a head – would have been especially noticeable to the audience and could have detracted from the appreciation of both the visual and aural aspects of the performance. However, the chorus was serene, presenting a professional and aesthetically striking tableaux.46
At last, all was ready.
Suddenly, enormous applause broke out as Walter Damrosch entered, taking the stage to conduct the opening piece– “Old Hundred.” The grand swell of chorus, orchestra, and organ was an inspiring start to the evening. This was a well-known hymn, and, according to The Sun, many in the audience rose and sang with those onstage,47 joining in the familiar words that praised “God from whom all blessings flow.”48 It was a work that was often performed at special events or concerts; and, on this night, it had a distinct meaning – a musical expression of gratitude. These were the first public notes to resonate in the main Music Hall.49 Loud applause followed.
Buy Links:
Opening Carnegie Hall: The Creation and First Performances of America's Premier Concert Stage: Binkowski, Carol J.: 9780786498727: Amazon.com: Books
Barnes & Noble:
Opening Carnegie Hall: The Creation and First Performances of America's Premier Concert Stage by Carol J. Binkowski, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
McFarland & Co., Inc.:
What makes your featured book a must-read?
This is the first comprehensive account--with many behind-the-scenes stories--of the conception and building of Carnegie Hall and its grand opening festival featuring Tchaikovsky as a special guest conductor.
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Author Biography:
Carol J. Binkowski is the author of Opening Carnegie Hall: The Creation and First Performances of America’s Premier Concert Stage. She was recently a guest on Episode #2 (“Carnegie Hall’s Opening Night Ticket”) of the Carnegie Hall/WQXR 2024 podcast series, “If This Hall Could Talk.” Carol’s other books include Joseph F. Lamb: A Passion for Ragtime and Musical New York. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, and other publications.
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