 Console of the 3/13 Barton Theater Pipe Organ at Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra, but in latter years new designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 478 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2280 × 2856 pixel, file size: 1. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 478 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2280 × 2856 pixel, file size: 1. ...
The baroque organ in Roskilde Cathedral, Copenhagen The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by admitting pressurized air (referred to as wind) through a series of pipes. ...
It took the place of the orchestra when installed in a movie theatre during the heyday of silent films. Most theatre organs were modeled after the style originally devised by Robert Hope-Jones, which he called a "unit orchestra". For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as...
Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ...
A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ...
Robert Hope-Jones (9 February 1859 in Hooton Grange, Cheshire – 13 September 1914 in Rochester, New York, USA)) is considered to be the inventor of the theatre organ. ...
Such instruments were typically built to provide the greatest possible variety of timbres with the fewest possible pipes, and often had pianos and other percussion instruments built in, as well as a variety of sound effects such as a siren. In music, timbre, or sometimes timber, (from Fr. ...
A short grand piano, with the top up. ...
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. ...
Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of movies, video games, music, or other media. ...
It has been suggested that Fire siren be merged into this article or section. ...
Theatre organs are usually identified at sight by their distinctive horseshoe-shaped console, which is not infrequently painted white with gold trim in original examples such at the 3/13 Barton from Ann Arbor's historic Michigan Theatre. The organ came from the the ornate Spanish styled Hollywood Theatre (1927) in Detroit which was demolished in 1963. There were over 7000 such organs installed in American theatres from 1915 to 1933, but fewer than 40 remain in their original theaters.[1] The Michigan Theater is a movie palace in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ...
The Detroit Theatre District is the nations second largest and includes several splendidly restored performance halls: The Fox Theatre, Fisher Theater, Detroit Opera House, Orchestra Hall, Gem Theatre, Detroit Masonic Temple Theater, Century Theatre and the State Theatre. ...
Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Background Many organ builders supplied instruments to theatres. The Rudolph Wurlitzer company, to whom Hope-Jones licensed his name and patents, was the most prolific and well-known manufacturer (2,234 were built), and the phrase Mighty Wurlitzer was the hallmark of quality. The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
Many of the innovations which furthered the evolution of theatre organ design simply allowed it to do its job better. Although not all of these ideas originated with Robert Hope-Jones, he was the first to successfully employ and combine many of these innovations within a single organ aesthetic. Some of these important developments are: electro-pneumatic action, which allows the console to be physically detached from the pipe chambers, connected only by a cable; unification, the process whereby pipe ranks are extended and tuned in sympathy with other ranks, and allowing any rank of pipes to be played from any manual or the pedals; imitative stops, where pipe ranks are more imitative of their symphonic counterparts; development of pipes able to speak successfully on higher wind pressures. electro-pneumatic action The electro-pneumatic action is a control system for pipe organs, whereby air pressure, controlled by an electric current and operated by the keys of an organ console, opens and closes valves within wind chests, allowing the pipes to speak. ...
Unfortunately, after some major disagreements with the Wurlitzer management, Robert Hope-Jones took his own life in 1914 -- but not before profoundly influencing the development of the theatre organ. The Wurlitzer company continued to flourish, however, becoming the largest manufacturer of theatre pipe organs in the world. Indeed, while there were many other builders of these instruments, the name "Wurlitzer" became generically synonymous with the theatre organ.
Other manufacturers included Page, Marr & Colton, Compton, Möller, Robert-Morton (the "Wonder Morton"), Conacher, Hilsdon, Kimball, Barton, Hillgreen-Lane, Kilgen, E. M. Skinner, Austin, Christie, and Hill Norman & Beard. These last two were both brand names for the same company, which specialized at the time in standardized extension organs with electro-pneumatic action, ideal for the theatre and then promoted as convenient and cost-effective for churches. In general, the Christie brand was used for theatre organs, which came with contemporary-styled consoles, while the firm's own name Hill Norman & Beard appeared on similar and sometimes identical pipes and actions supplied to customers seen as less frivolous, controlled by a traditional drawknob-stop console. Their standardized pipe, relay and blower packages were called unit organs, and for theatre use were augmented with percussion and other additional effects. The Moller firm specialized in unit organs for church use, many of which remain in service in small churches to this day. M. P. MÅ‘ller (M. P. MÅ‘ller, Inc. ...
The Robert Morgan Organ Company was a producer of Theater Organs with a heydey in the late 1920s under the Wonder Organ brand. ...
In 1918, The Bartola Musical Instrument Company of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States was formed by Dan Barton who came from Amherst, Wisconsin. ...
An extension organ is a pipe organ that uses one or more ranks of pipes longer then the length of its keyboards to serve several different organ stops at different pitches. ...
Compton cinema organs, built by the John Compton Organ Company of Acton, were the most prevalent of theatre organs in the UK; 261 were installed in cinemas and theatres in the British Isles. Comptons made many fine church and concert organs as well. Their cinema organs employed state of the art technology and engineering and many are still in existence today. One of the most notable is the large 5 manual example at the Odeon Cinema Leicester Square in central London. Odeon Cinemas are a chain of cinemas in the United Kingdom. ...
This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...
Several organ builders were also known for their specialties. Wurlitzer was well known for its reeds and special effects; Kimball was an innovator in string tones; Barton constructed lush Tibias for their organs; Möller was famous for its foundation ranks. And although not an organ manufacturer, the J. C. Deagan Company built many of the chromatic percussions (xylophone, chrysoglott, glockenspiel, etc.) that are found in most theatre organs. Kulintang a Kayo, a Philippine xylophone The xylophone (from the Greek meaning wooden sound) is a musical instrument in the percussion family which probably originated in Indonesia. ...
Most orchestral glockenspiels are mounted in a case. ...
History During the silent movie era and into the early 1930s, theatre organs were built in large numbers in the US and few in the United Kingdom. They were built in a variety of sizes, filling the gap between a simple piano accompaniment and a full orchestra. Indeed, when theatre owners hired orchestras to accompany silent movies, they frequently included a pipe organ to provide relief to the orchestra, and to play for less-expensive showings.[2] A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ...
On the European continent the theatre organ appeared only after WWI in the cinemas. Some instruments came from Wurlitzer but there were European organbuilders like M. Welte & Söhne and Walcker (Organbuilder) in Germany, and there were also Dutch manufacturers like Standaart. The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
M. Welte & Sons, Freiburg and New York From 1832 until 1932, the firm produced mechanical musical Instruments of highest quality. ...
After the development of sound movies, theatre organs remained installed in many theatres to provide live music between features. However, after the 'golden years' of the 1930s, many were scrapped or sold to churches, private homes, museums, ice rinks, rollatoriums, and restaurants. In that era, commonly known as the theatre organ's second golden age (the 1950's), many of the tonal characteristics of theatre organs became somewhat more exaggerated than they had been in the silent movie era. This second age also saw the formation of the American Theatre Organ Society. It has been suggested that Ecclesia (Church) be merged into this article or section. ...
The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ...
Rockefeller Centre ice rink An ice rink is a frozen body of water where people can ice skate or play winter sports. ...
“Roller Skater†redirects here. ...
Toms Restaurant, a restaurant in New York made familiar by Suzanne Vega and the television sitcom Seinfeld A restaurant is an establishment that serves prepared food and beverages to order, to be consumed on the premises. ...
Many composers got their start by playing the theatre organ. Oliver Wallace, arguably America's first real theatre organist, was soon employed by Walt Disney, and composed, among other things, the score to Dumbo. Jesse Crawford, the first organist ever to sell over a million recordings, was known in households across America as the "poet of the organ." He was also responsible for developing many of the techniques and registrations used in the performance of popular music on the instrument. Rex Khoury composed the Gunsmoke theme. Reginald Foort was arguably the most popular theatre organist in the UK. And, probably the most legendary theatre organist of modern times, George Wright, is credited with saving the medium from certain demise in the 50's and 60's, when he created a huge series of studio recordings which sold millions, as he was clever enough to have them included in the new Stereo format used in early systems such as Zenith, Admiral and Magnavox. The late Richard Purvis, who was for many years the organist and master of choristers at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco was also an enthusiastic promoter of theatre organ, and wrote many arrangements for it. For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ...
Dumbo is a 1941 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney and first released on October 23, 1941 by RKO Radio Pictures. ...
The cast of radios Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. ...
George Wright (born August 28, 1920 in Oakland, California, died May 10, 1998 in Glendale, California) was an American musician, possibly the most famous virtuoso of the theatre organ of the modern era. ...
Grace Cathedral is located on Nob Hill in San Francisco, California. ...
This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...
Technical As in a traditional pipe organ, a theatre organ uses pressurized air to produce musical tones. Five important things that distinguish a theatre organ from traditional church organs are unification and extension, the exclusive use of electric action, high wind pressures, percussion instruments, and the horseshoe console.
Unification and extension gives the theatre organ its unique flexibility. A rank is extended by adding pipes above and below the original pitch, allowing the organist to play that rank at various pitches by drawing separate stops or tabs. A simple example of unification follows:
The Tibia at 8' pitch has 61 pipes. The Tibia can be made available at 4' pitch by adding 12 pipes to the top of the Tibia 8'. Tibia 2' is similarly accomplished by adding 12 more pipes. The Tibia Clausa 16' as a pedal voice is accomplished by adding 12 pipes to the bottom of the Tibia 8'. Hence, in a unified organ, four "ranks" (really tabs or draw-stops) can be obtained from a total of 97 pipes. In a classically designed organ, four "straight" ranks would require 244 pipes.
These ranks are voiced in relation to other pipe ranks in the organ, allowing a handful of ranks in a typical theatre organ to imitate a wide range of instruments. Unification also makes it possible to play any rank of pipes from any manual and the pedals independently, unlike a traditional church organ, where a rank of pipes is playable only from one manual or the pedals, or from two manuals via couplers.
 The "Toy Counter" in the Solo Chamber at Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater (3/13 Barton) The electro-pneumatic action was invented by Robert Hope-Jones, and is considered by many to be the single most significant development in pipe organs. Up to the turn of the 20th century, all pipe organs were operated by a tracker, tubular pneumatic, or pneumatic Barker-lever action, where the keys and pedals were physically connected to the pipe valves via wooden trackers, except in the case of tubular pneumatic, where all actions were operated by air pressure. Hope-Jones' electro-pneumatic action eliminated this by using wind pressure, controlled by electric solenoids, to operate the pipe valves, and solenoids and pistons to control and operate the various stop tabs, controls, keys and pedals on the console. This action allowed the console to be physically detached from the organ. All signals from the console were transmitted by an electric cable to an electro-pneumatic relay, and from there to the pipes and effects in the organ chambers.[3] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Tracker action is a term used in reference to pipe organs to indicate a mechanical linkage between the key pressed by the organist and the valve that allows air to flow into pipe(s) of the corresponding note. ...
Hope-Jones believed that higher wind pressures would allow pipes to more accurately imitate orchestral instruments by causing the pipes to produce harmonic overtones which, when mixed with other pipe ranks, produced tones more imitative of actual instruments. The high wind pressures also led to the development of instruments that are unique in theatre organs (such as the diaphone and tibia clausa), and allowed any rank in the organ to function as a solo instrument. These higher pressures were possible due to the development of high-velocity, motor-driven blowers and wind regulators. A diaphone is a unique organ pipe. ...
The Tibia Clausa is one of the foundation ranks and arguably the most important rank of pipes in a theatre pipe organ. ...
 Marimba in the Solo Chamber at Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater (3/13 Barton) Another hallmark of theatre organs is the addition of chromatic (tuned) percussions. In keeping with his idea of a "unit orchestra," Hope-Jones added pneumatically- and electrically operated instruments such as xylophones, wood harps, chimes, sleigh bells, chrysoglotts and glockenspiels to reproduce the orchestral versions of these instruments. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Later, Wurlitzer added other effects, such as drums, cymbals, wood blocks and other non-chromatic percussions and effects to allow the theatre organ to accompany silent movies.[4]
A traditional organ console was not adequate to control a theatre organ, as the large number of draw knobs required made the console so huge an organist could not possibly reach all of them while playing. Thus, the horseshoe console was born. Based on a curved French console design and using stop "tabs" instead of drawknobs, the horseshoe console now allowed the organist to reach any stop or control while playing any piece of music, eliminating the need to move around awkwardly on the bench. The smaller stop tabs also permitted the addition of many more stops on the console than could be added on a traditional console.
 Percussion on a Wurlitzer at the Meyer Theatre in Green Bay, Wisconsin. After the advent of unification and the electro-pneumatic action, builders of church organs started to see the advantages of these systems. As a result, several organ builders began adopting these concepts for use in their church organs. Among these were Austin, Möller, Aeolian-Skinner and Kimball, who used electro-pneumatic action in many of their organs. Today, approximately one fourth of all new or rebuilt church pipe organs use an electro-pneumatic action either exclusively, or as an augmentation to existing tracker actions. In the same vein, some amount of unification was utilized in some church organs, and even today many church pipe organs utilize some degree of unification in areas where it is not critical to the "classical" sound sought in such instruments, or in instruments where space for pipes is limited. With stops such as the 32' bourdon in the pedal division, or a 16' reed in a manual division, the basic theatre organ concept of "extension" is commonly -- but discreetly -- used by even the most noted organ builders. Image File history File links Theatreorgan_drum_lg. ...
Image File history File links Theatreorgan_drum_lg. ...
The name Bourdon is derived from the French word for buzz and normally denotes a stopped flute/flue type of pipe in an organ, though in organ building the stop has no buzz, but rather a very dark, heavy tone, strong in fundamental, with little overtone development. ...
Current status There are many theatre organs still in operation but only a handful are in their original installation.
Most notable of these are the world's largest original installation theatre organs (in order of number of ranks)[5]
- Radio City Music Hall New York, New York - Wurlitzer, 4 manuals, 58 ranks, 2 consoles (1932)
- Atlantic City Convention Hall Ballroom's Kimball Theatre/Concert Organ 4 manuals, 55 ranks (1931)
- Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia - Moller, 4 manuals, 42 ranks (1929)
- Fox Theater, Detroit, Michigan - Wurlitzer 4 manuals, 36 ranks (1927)
- Fox Theatre, St. Louis, Missouri - Wurlitzer, 4 manuals, 36 ranks (1927)
- Chicago Theatre Chicago Illinois, Wurlitzer, 4 manuals, 29 ranks (1921)
- Shea's Buffalo, now called Shea's Performing Arts Center Buffalo, New York, Wurlitzer, 4 manuals, 29 ranks (1926)
- Denver Paramount - Wurlitzer, 4 manuals, 20 ranks, 2 consoles (1930)
- Seattle Paramount - Wurlitzer, 4 manuals, 20 ranks (1928)
- Byrd Theatre Richmond Virginia - Wurlitzer, 4 manuals, 17 ranks (1928)
- Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, California - Wurlitzer, 3 manuals, 14 ranks (1926)
- Blackpool Tower Ballroom - Wurlitzer, 3 manuals, 14 ranks (1935) (See: Reginald Dixon)
- Blackpool Opera House - Wurlitzer, 3 manuals, 13 ranks (1939) (last new Wurlitzer in the UK)
- Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, Michigan - Barton (3 manuals, 13 ranks (1927))
- Redford Theatre, Detroit, Michigan - Barton (3 manuals, 10 ranks (1928))
UK / Canada / Australia / NZ Radio City Music Hall at Christmas 2005 Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...
Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
Stage of Boardwalk Hall undergoing renovation. ...
The Fox Theatre (often marketed as the Fabulous Fox) in Atlanta, Georgia is one of the grand movie palaces built in the United States in the 1920s. ...
Nickname: Location in Fulton and DeKalb counties in the state of Georgia Coordinates: , Country State Counties Fulton, DeKalb Government - Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Area - City 132. ...
The Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit, Michigan is a historic Roaring Twenties theater. ...
Nickname: Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (Latin for, We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes) Location in Wayne County, Michigan Coordinates: , Country State County Wayne County Founded 1701 Incorporation 1806 Government - Type Strong Mayor-Council - Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) Area - City 143. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
The Fox Theatre, St Louis, MO. The Fox Theatre is one of the most famous theatres in St. ...
Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country United States State Missouri County Independent City Government - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area - City 66. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
This article is about the landmark theater. ...
Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area - City 234. ...
Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area Ranked 25th - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²) - Width 210 miles (340 km) - Length 390 miles (629 km) - % water 4. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
Well-renowned theater for touring Broadway musicals and special events in Buffalo, New York. ...
Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State County Government - Mayor Byron Brown (D) Area - City 52. ...
The Paramount Theatre is a concert venue in Denver, Colorado, located on Glenarm Place, near Denvers famous 16th Street Mall. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
Paramount Theater in Seattle The Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington is a 2,803-seat performing arts venue on the north edge of Downtown. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
The Byrd Theatre, named after William Byrd I and William Byrd II, founders of Richmond, Virginia, is one of Virginias finest cinema treasures in the United States of America. ...
Downtown Richmond as seen from the James River Motto: Sic Itur Ad Astra (Such is the way to the Stars) Nickname: River City Location in Virginia Founded -Incorporated 1607 County Independent city Mayor Douglas Wilder Area - Total - Water 162. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area Ranked 3rd - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 770 miles (1,240 km) - % water 4. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
Reginald Dixon MBE (1904 in Sheffield-died 1985) was a theatre organist. ...
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company, formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electric pianos and jukeboxes. ...
The Michigan Theater is a movie palace in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ...
For the railroad company, see Ann Arbor Railroad. ...
The Redford Theatre in Detroit, MI has served as an entertainment venue since it opened on January 27, 1928. ...
Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815 County Wayne County Mayor...
Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area Ranked 11th - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²) - Width 239 miles (385 km) - Length 491 miles (790 km) - % water 41. ...
- Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer, [Blackpool, Lancashire, UK] 3 manuals, 14 ranks (1935]
- Pavilion Theatre Compton, [Bournemouth, Dorset, UK] (4 manuals, 24 ranks (1929)).
- Orpheum Theatre Wurlitzer, Vancouver, British Columbia (3 manuals, 13 ranks (1927).
Germany This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ...
- Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR, North German Broadcasting), Hamburg - Welte-Funk-Orgel (Welte-Wireless Organ) (1930) in the oldest radio studio still in use. M. Welte & Söhne, 3 manuals, 29 ranks (1930).
- Musikinstrumenten-Museum Berlin, Mighty Wurlitzer Berlin, 4 manuals, 15 ranks (1929).
Current logo of Norddeutscher Rundfunk. ...
Location Coordinates Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE6 First Mayor Ole von Beust (CDU) Governing party CDU Votes in Bundesrat 3 (from 69) Basic statistics Area 755 km² (292 sq mi) Population 1,754,317 (11/2006)[1] - Density 2,324 /km² (6,018...
M. Welte & Sons, Freiburg and New York From 1832 until 1932, the firm produced mechanical musical Instruments of highest quality. ...
This article is about the capital of Germany. ...
New vs Original technology So called "New" organs have been recently built, mainly from parts of other theatre organs, with some construction of new pipework, windchests and consoles.
Among the largest of these are the 5-manual (keyboard), 80-rank (sets of pipes) organ at the Sanfilippo Residence in Barrington, Illinois; the 4-manual, 78-rank organ at the Organ Stop Pizza Restaurant in Mesa, Arizona; and the 4-manual, 77-rank organ of The Nethercutt Collection at San Sylmar in Sylmar, California. Incorporated Village in 1865. ...
Organ Stop Pizza is a restaurant located in Mesa, Arizona. ...
Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country United States State Arizona Counties Maricopa Government - Mayor Keno Hawker (R) Area - City 125. ...
Sylmar is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, California. ...
- The largest theater pipe organ in a publicly owned building is the Dickinson High School Kimball Theatre pipe organ in Wilmington, Delaware, consisting of identical 3-manual consoles which play 66 ranks of pipes.
- The Civic Hall in Wolverhampton (UK) houses what was originally a 40 rank Compton concert/orchestral organ which has, in recent years, been enhanced by four theatre organ ranks, including the main voice of the theatre organ, a Tibia Clausa
- The Worthing WurliTzer, Worthing, UK, designed and built by Jim Buckland is the largest Wurlitzer organ in a concert venue in Europe - 3 manuals, 22 ranks - one of the finest examples in the UK today. Used regularly for concerts throughout the year.
- The Singing Hills WurliTzer, Albourne, proudly boasts 2 consoles, the smaller 2 manual console controls 5 of the available ranks and the larger 3 manual console controls all of the available 23 ranks. Originally specified by Michael Maine and built by David Houlgate, re-specified by Michael Wooldridge and refurbished with extra ranks added by Alan Baker and Michael Wooldridge. Regularly used for concerts throughout the year, in the non-golfing season.
Other theatre organs that have been silent for years are being refurbished and installed in new venues.
Some of these refurbished organs have had their original electro-pneumatic relays replaced with electronic and/or computerized relays and modern, electronic consoles.
- Manufacturers such as Peterson, Z-tronics, Syndyne, Arndt, Organ Supply Industries, and Opus-Two[2] provide hardware, reproduction parts, and electronics for theatre organs.
Digital Theatre Organ: Built by companies such as Walker Theatre Organs[3], Allen[4] and Rodgers[5], incorporating sampling, a MIDI interface, and newly-designed speaker systems, are being produced in the attempt to recreate authentic-sounding pipe tones, thus providing an affordable alternative to an actual pipe organ. As a result, the typical "man on the street" experiences difficulty in perceiving the differences between today's digitally-sampled electronic organs and traditional pipe organs. Arnd(t) is a surname, variant Arent and may refer to: Alfred Arndt, German architect Bettina Arndt, Australian sex therapist Chip Arndt, American reality show contestant Denis Arndt, actor Ernst Moritz Arndt, German author/poet Felix Arndt, American pianist Ingrid Arndt-Brauer, German politician Johann Arndt, German theologian Judith Arndt...
Organ Supply Industries, Incorporated is a prominent pipe organ parts manufacturer founded in 1924 as the Organ Supply Corporation in Erie, Pennsylvania. ...
Allen Organ Company, formed in 1939 by Jerome Markowitz, is located in Macungie, Pennsylvania, It is one of the worlds largest builders of electronic and digital organs. ...
Rodgers Instruments designs and manufacturers classical organs, using digital technology and sometimes incorporating traditional wind blown pipes. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...
Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ...
Virtual Theatre Organ: Recently, a virtual theatre organ called the MidiTzer was developed. It is available as a free download, runs on a Windows-based PC and uses MIDI keyboards. The MidiTzer makes the theatre organ sound and experience convenient for home setup and portable for use at silent film shows where a theatre pipe organ is not available. Windows redirects here. ...
Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ...
This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ...
The future
The theatre organ and its progenitors The future of the theatre organ is always fluid, but several organizations are active in preserving and promoting these grand, old instruments. Among these are the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) and numerous independent theatre organ clubs who exist to refurbish and reinstall theatre organs to their former glory. Similar work is being done in the UK by the Cinema Organ Society [6] and the Theatre Organ Club; in Australia the various divisions of TOSA have "saved" many theatre organs once in cinemas and theatres. Many of these rebuilt instruments have been installed in restaurants and auditoriums, as well as in a few theatres and churches, allowing the public to gain access to them.
The efforts expended by these organizations ensure that these theatre organs will be heard and enjoyed by new generations of listeners and admirers. Indeed, some people have gone on to learn theatre organ technique and become successful theatre organists in their own right. The theatre organ and its music are unique art forms and should be preserved as an example of musical ingenuity.
Independent chapters of ATOS, individuals and venue operators have produced various events and shows, to varied rates of success, to promote the theatre organ. The most successful of these have proven to be regional conventions, featuring the instruments, and fully produced shows, which use the organs as part of a larger group. Audiences have dwindled greatly at pure organ concerts, with rare exceptions, over the last 20 years.
Organists then and now By the late 1920's, there were over 7,000 organists employed in theatres across the United States. Today, there are only a few of those original silent film organists still alive. Current theatre organists include Steven Ball of Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater, Rosa Rio and Rob Richards[7], and Dennis James [8]. Others such as Jelani Eddington[9] have active concert schedules and continue to promote the instrument and its preservation through their worldwide travels and musical talents.
There are many other full- or part-time Theatre Organists in other parts of the world, with a large proliferation in the United Kingdom. Phil Kelsall[10], resident organist of the Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer in the world famous Blackpool Tower, is arguably the most well known in England and plays mainly in a unique style called the Blackpool Style, which was originally developed by Reginald Dixon, a previous resident organist. John Mann, Simon Gledhill, [11], Richard Hills,[12] Nigel Ogden[13], Len Rawle[14] and Michael Wooldridge[15] are just a few of the many British organists who play regularly to audiences throughout the world. In Australia there are also many wonderful musicians who play the Theatre Organ, with Tony Fenelon, John Giacchi and Chris McPhee being among the most prolific.[citation needed] In France Jean-Philippe Le Trévou, Titular Organist at Sainte-Claire Church in Paris and one of the rare theatre organists in France, continues the tradition by accompanying silent films at the Kinopanorama in Paris, at the Vidéothèque de Paris for the Ciné-Mémoire Festival, as well as at the Cinema Museum in Frankfurt, Germany, during the Music Fair. Reginald Dixon MBE (1904 in Sheffield-died 1985) was a theatre organist. ...
Nigel Ogden is an organist and radio broadcaster in the UK who presents The Organist Entertains on BBC Radio 2. ...
Footnotes - ^ Steven Ball. The Story of The Hollywood Barton.[1] Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society (November/December), citing The Hollywood Theatre, Detroit, MI Detroit News March 17, 1963.
- ^ Theatre organs varied in styles from the very first organ, The Wurlitzer Style 1, an upright piano console modified with the addition of an organ manual, pedals, 4 ranks of pipes, 4 percussions and traps, to the largest organs with 50+ pipe ranks, 4- and 5-manual consoles, and many percussions and traps (some of the larger organs also incorporated dual consoles).
- ^ It should be noted that the earliest unit orchestras utilized a separate wind supply to the console to operate combination pistons, which at that time were pneumatically operated. Later designs electrified the combination action, eliminating the need for the console wind supply.
- ^ Various builders of church organs, notably Möller, Austin, Aeolian-Skinner and Kimball, added a limited number of chromatic percussions to their church instruments.
- ^ Original installation refers to a theatre pipe organ that is still located in its originally-installed venue (never removed and installed elsewhere) and still contains its original specification (organ retains its original pipes and chamber layout and console, no additions or deletions except for update of relays). The addition and/or deletion of only one rank of pipes negates this status.
See also The Capri Theatre is a cinema in Goodwood, a suburb of Adelaide South Australia. ...
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