Carnegie hall is a famous concert venue, one of the most prestigious locations in the world for classical and popular music. There were great musicians, there were world premieres of works by Stravinsky, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, Schoenberg.

The idea of creating such music center has been floating around since the Civil war, after which new York became one of the largest cities in the world. Its inhabitants embraced the craze for music, the city had a Symphony and choral society, but was not worthy of the concert stage.

In the spring of 1887 a young American conductor and pianist Walter damrosh went to Germany on tour. On Board the ship were newlyweds Andrew Carnegie and Louise Whitfield, who were to honeymoon in Scotland. The trio became friends, and Carnegie, incredibly rich king steel industry, became interested in the idea of creating a large concert hall.

After the honeymoon Carnegie immediately set in motion his plan: bought a plot of land on Seventh Avenue, ordered the project. Architect William Barnett Tuthill (himself a good cellist has designed all brick building, without the traditional USA internal steel frame. Facade with terracotta details was trimmed with narrow Roman bricks of a ripe shade of ochre. The internal volume of the building took three separate rooms: the main (he is now the name of the violinist Isaac stern) 2800 seats and two more chamber, 600 and 268. The acoustics of the rooms was superb.

May 5, 1891 held the Grand opening of Carnegie hall. The event celebrated five-day music festival, the guest of honour was Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He conducted performances of his own works – "Coronation March," written for the Emperor Alexander III, and his Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1.

The hall was owned by the Carnegie family until 1925, then was sold. In the sixties of the last century it was under threat: the owner planned to tear it down and build a skyscraper here. The public was outraged, and the city bought out Carnegie hall.

At the end of XX century the building was reconstructed. Not without controversy about this: people complained that the acoustics was seemingly worse. It turned out that the reason is forgotten under the stage a piece of concrete slab. When it was removed, acoustics recovered.

There was Feodor Chaliapin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Emil Gilels, David Oistrakh, Arturo Toscanini, Vladimir Horowitz. But Carnegie hall was not only a musical classics: here gave concerts of jazz legend benny Goodman, Duke Ellington Quartet, Dave Brubeck, Billie holiday, sang Judy garland and Harry Belafonte, here performed twice during their first trip to the U.S. the Beatles. Today, Carnegie hall is one of the most significant brands of the world music culture.