[Editor’s note: When most people think of the philanthropy of industrialistAndrew Carnegie (1845-1919), theythink libraries. When Dr. Paula PughRomanaux considers Carnegie, she thinkspipe organs. A concert organist for morethan 45 years, Romanaux has studied andplayed the “king of instruments” all overEurope, but she got her start in CassCounty, Illinois, on an organ purchasedwith a matching grant from the CarnegieFoundation. The Carnegie organ bene-factions are a fascinating, little-knownstory, one every serious student of musichistory should known.]

Illinois Heritage: The world knows philanthropist Andrew Carnegie valuededucation, especially self-improvement,which is why he funded more than1,400 libraries across the nation. Butwhat was his compelling reason to createorgan benefactions—more than 7,500around the globe and 207 in Illinois?

Romanaux: At the same timeAndrew Carnegie was matching dollar-for-dollar the efforts of civicorganizations funding the construc-tion of libraries across the UnitedStates (1890s until his death in1919), he was also quietly donating

portions of his wealth to build pipeorgans, mostly for churches.Carnegie said in his auto-biography,published posthumously in 1920, “I can’t control what is spoken fromthe pulpits, but I can influence themusic heard in our communities.”

IH: How did the organ benefactionswork in the United States? How didchurch and civil communities learn ofCarnegie’s benefactions?

Romanaux: Early in Carnegie’s

career he gave his first pipe organ totheir family Swedenborgian churchin Allegheny City, Pennsyl vania.After the organ installation, agroundswell of applications cameforth—applications from the largecathedral in Pittsburgh to small village churches. Carnegie person-ally handled all the requests andfound himself overwhelmed with the time his project took. He said“every church seemed to need a

“Wind under the fingertips”Andrew Carnegie’s organ benefactions in Illinois and the nation

Dr. Paula Pugh Romanaux

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This Hook & Hastings pipe organ in Virginia, Illinois, was funded with agrant from Andrew Carnegie, and was the organ Paula Romanaux practiced on as a young teenager.

Heritage interview

better organ than it had, and as thefull price for the new instrument waspaid, the sale of the old instrumentwas pure profit.” It was not unusualfor a small village church to orderorgans that could “split rafters.”

The organ grant requests wereorganized into a strict system of giving by the Carnegie Corporation.Carnegie’s personal secretary, Mr.James Bertrum (1872-1934), devel-oped a printed schedule of questionsand answers to be returned beforeany further action was taken. In1935, Pillans & Wilson publishedThe British Trusts and Their Work,with a section titled a “Centenary of the Birth of Andrew Carnegie,”which enumerates Carnegie’s ration-ale for sponsoring pipe organs:

(1) That the organ would be aninspiration for leading congrega-tional music and to spirituallyuplift;

(2) That the organ would be aninstrument on which studentscould learn to play;

(3) That the churches are contribut-ing instrumentalists in the socialand cultural advance of a com-munity — the aggregate of com-munities make the Nation;

(4) The efficiency of the services ofa church is augmented by theuse of a pipe organ, hence,through the church the organindirectly contributes to thesocial and cultural advance ofthe community; and

(5) Directly, the organ when used inrecitals and by students of musicrenders and important culturalservice.

The Carnegie pipe organ grantapplications required the church tosupply the name and denominationof the requestor; number of fullmembers; resources of the church—lot, building, equipment; value ofany other church property, includingvestments, chalices, bells, candle-sticks, church furniture; amount ofdebt; date church was built; seatingcapacity; pricing of proposed organand how the church arrived at thenumber; if the new organ had beenordered; how much money theorganization had raised; the particu-

lars of the present organ—age, cost,was it second hand; reasons for displacing the present instrument,how much could be realized fromthe sale of the old organ.

IH: Carnegie was from a poor family in Scotland. Did he grow up witha music tradition in his family, or was itsomething he cultivated after he came toAmerica?

Romanaux: It was not until afterthe Carnegie Family immigrated tothe United States from Scotland in1848 that Andrew Carnegie devel-oped an ear for music. Raised underthe ridged tenets of the ScottishPresbyterian Church, the Carnegiesleft their Calvinist roots and, aftermoving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,joined other Scottish immigrants in attending the SwedenborgianChurch. It was the SwedenborgianHymnal that most intrigued theyoung Carnegie, for in the back ofthe hymnal were several oratorioexcerpts. It was George FridericHandel’s music that inspiredCarnegie to join the choir. He said“it was more his enthusiasm thanvocal quality” that allowed him toremain in the choir, but it was also

the beginning of his interest in thepipe organ. He wrote that listeningto hymns transported him more thanany scripture.

IH: How did you first learn ofCarnegie and his interest in pipe organs?

Romanaux: I learned to play on a Carnegie grant instrument at theChristian Church on E. BeardstownStreet in Virginia, Illinois. It was,originally a hand-pumped instru-ment my father pumped when heattended there as a child. But whenI was practicing on that organ as ateenager, the bellows had been converted to an electric pumpingsystem. It was this mechanicalaction organ, an instrument that hasdirect control of the individual pipesounds, in essence, “wind underyour fingertips,” that profoundlyinfluenced me throughout my careeras a performer and teacher.

My father, Richard Pugh, told meabout Carnegie and how the Virginiapipe organ was purchased. The organwas and remains an Opus No. 2194of the firm E. and G.G. Hook &Hastings, of Boston, Massachusetts.A mechanical stop and key-actioninstrument, it was built and assem-bled in 1908 with two manual key-boards and one pedal keyboard. Thetop keyboard (the Swell) had amechanical swell shade and 14 regis-ters. To this day the organ is, exceptfor the electric blower, unaltered.

IH: The Christian Church youpracticed on is a long way from theCarnegie Foundation. How did churcheslearn about his grants?

Romanaux: I have found norecords or advertisements forCarnegie organ grants; however, weknow that after the Allegheny City,Pennsylvania, organ installation, theprominent Pittsburgh Cathedralcontacted Carnegie about funding anew instrument. Denominationalgatherings could have also encour-aged inquires. When looking at thedemographics of Carnegie organs, itis clear word of mouth played a role,but this was also at a parallel timewhen the Carnegie libraries werebeing built. Libraries start conversa-tions. Pennsylvania, where the firstorgan was built, received 1,351

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Andrew Carnegie passion for pipeorgans was inspired by his love ofthe music of George FridericHandel.

Carnegie gift instruments, followedby Ohio with 440 instruments, New York (home of the CarnegieFoundation and the Carnegie residence) with 290, and Illinoiswith 207. The total number of organbenefactions at Carnegie’s death was4,092 in the United States (7,689around the world), valued at $3.6million in 1919 [about $55 millionin today’s dollars].

IH: Can you say something aboutthe organ companies that constructedthese instruments? Where any of themanufacturers from Illinois? Are anystill in business?

Romanaux: Interesting is theprominence of Carnegie instrumentsin smaller towns in central Illinois,where we also see Carnegie libraries.The Hinners Organ Company ofPekin, Illinois, was established in1879, and that company built severalpipe organs in Mason, Menard, andTazewell counties before ceasing production in 1947. The Disciples ofChrist churches (Christian Churches)— congregations within 30 minutesof our home in Petersburg —still haveplayable Carnegie organs in Virginia(Hook & Hastings), Peters burg(Hinners), and Havana (Hinners).

Hinners was the first mail-ordercompany to ship pump organs in thecountry, and sold more than 3,000pipe organs beginning in 1902 (theyear after Carnegie’s organ benefac-tions went public). Hinners’ reliable,mass-produced organs featured eight to ten stops, two manuals (key-boards), a pedal board, mechanicalaction, and a hand pump. They werepriced from $700-$1000 and, withadd-ons, could range upwards to several thousand dollars.

Other organ companies promi-nent throughout Illinois were theWicks Organ Company of Highland and the E. & G.G. Hook & HastingsOrgans (1827-1935), of Boston,which offered stock models and custom instruments to small andmidsize churches, and grander models to churches in Chicago andwealthy suburbs. These larger instru-ments had dominating rear-galleryinstallations of three to four key-boards, 40-plus stops, intricate pipe

shade decorations, and price tagsexceeding $20,000.

IH: Your interest in Carnegie organbenefactions also includes the organrepertoire of the late 19th and early 20thcentury, especially composers who mighthave written for these instruments. Whathave you discovered so far?

Romanaux: Recognizable organmusic from this time was by CesarFranck, Louis Vierne, JohannesBrahms, Johann Sebastian Bach,Marcel Dupré, Josef Rheinberger,Felix Mendelssohn, and many others.To date I haven’t found any specialmusic commissioned for Carnegieorgans, but I can’t image none exist.Theatrical organs still are in everymajor city in the country and com-posers wrote for them often; I wouldlove to find an original compositionthat honors Carnegie’s gifts.

IH: Are you still looking forCarnegie organs in Illinois?

Romanaux: Yes, absolutely. Ihave identified at least 80, althoughmany have been destroyed, altered,or decommissioned. Recently we visited a Baptist church in Palmyrathat I believe has a Carnegie organ.It needs some minor work but it is a beautiful instrument. I’m surethere are many others in similar condition. Illinois Heritagereaders who think they know of a Carnegie organ can write to me atPaulapughromanaux@gmail.com.

Dr. Romanaux’s research wasfunded by a “Forgotten Illinois” grantfrom Illinois Humanities. Dr. Romanauxis married to ISHS executive directorWilliam Furry, who conducted thisinterview.

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This impressive Carnegie-funded pipe organ was installed in theMethodist Episcopal Church in Mattoon, but was later replaced with amore modern instrument.