When you think of a musical instrument one does not necessarily think about its size. However, one of the largest instruments is the traditional pipe organ. Obviously, it’s not the small organ found in many homes, but the massive instrument found in many churches and auditoriums.
The theatre organ, a close cousin of the pipe organ, is an even larger, more massive instrument than its cousin. The theatre organ is a musical instrument phenomenon of the early 20th century.
Ancient origins of the organ date to circa 250 BC. The main developments occurred between the 14th and 18th centuries with many newer innovations in the 19th century. Interestingly, the organ was basically the only instrument not prohibited by the church in the Dark Ages.
The Theatre Organ
The theatre organ would not have existed without the advent of motion pictures and the impressive buildings where they were shown. Theatre organs were used for Broadway musicals and Hollywood movies. One can readily see how important the theatre organ was to the budding motion picture industry. The organ and its various components brought excitement and created a sense of realism to the silent images portrayed on the screen.
Some of the theatres were known as “movie palaces” or a “cathedral of motion pictures.” Since early films were silent, music was needed to enhance the drama on the screen. Musicians were hired and in the larger venues a full orchestra was used. However, in smaller houses only a few musicians were needed and just one was often hired in many theatres.
An instrument was needed to take the place of an orchestra or small ensemble—enter the theatre organ. There was also an economic factor in the equation; it was more economical to hire only one musician rather than many in an orchestra.
At first the traditional pipe organ was used but that proved inadequate. With new innovations, the pipe organ was adapted to achieve the desired purposes that better suited the action on the screen.
Builders: The new renovations to the pipe organ were the brain-child of English inventor, Robert Hope-Jones. Many of his innovations were done in England. When he arrived in America, he partnered with German immigrant Rudolph Wurlitzer and his company in New York. Hope-Jones ideas were brought to fruition with Wurlitzer and the resulting instrument was called the “Wurlitzer-Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra,” that became the “Mighty Wurlitzer.” This instrument was a one-man substitute for the orchestra.
Unfortunately, because of differences with the Wurlitzer Company, in 1914 Hope-Jones committed suicide. His ideas and inventions went on to markedly influence the building of theatre organs. The Wurlitzer Company continued to expand, and it became the largest maker of theatre organs in the world.
Other manufactures were: Bartola Company in Wisconsin; Robert Morton Company in California; Marr and Colton Company in New York and the Page Organ Company in Ohio. Builders of church and pipe organs also built theatre organs in the teens and the 1920s. Many theatre organs were installed in sports arenas, civic buildings and churches. Many were electric powered in the 1920s and 1930s.
Organ Components: There are characteristics that distinguish a theatre organ from a traditional pipe organ in a church or concert hall. In small venues and private homes, the components are all housed in a self-contained enclosure. In larger venues the components were installed in various spaces in the building. The console was visible near the stage. The other components were usually not seen.
The horseshoe shaped console consists of two, three or more manuals (keyboards); a semicircle of “tongue-shaped” stop tabs, like knobs you pull, and a foot pedal board played by the feet, plus many other buttons and pedals that control the swell shutters and other mechanics. The console is often positioned on a lift or elevator in front of the theatre screen.
The relay controls the “brains” of the instrument. When keys or stops, are activated, electronic signals direct the correct pipes and other components to sound the pitches.
The blower is a fan that directs the air to blow through the pipes. It also provides the air to sound the pneumatically operated instruments (traps). The blower also operates the swell-shutters and pistons that change many stops. The wind chest is a wood container that houses the pressurized air from the blower.
A set of pipes is known as a “rank of pipes.” Most ranks contain 60 to 70 pipes. The size of the organ determines the number of ranks- small organs have three or four ranks; large organs can have over 50 ranks and 3,000 to 4,000 pipes. Pitch is determined by the size of a pipe. Some pipes are smaller than a pencil. The lowest bass pipe in a large instrument is about 32 feet in length. The differences in pipe size can be enormous.
The traps are real percussion instruments including piano, xylophone, glockenspiel, orchestra bells, and cymbals, among others. These instruments are in pipe chambers. They are actuated from the console and sound by pneumatic action. Beaters are located above the percussion instruments. All the drums, both snare and bass, are activated in the same way.
Other sound effects like sirens, horns, whistles, sleigh bells and bird calls are all sounded from the console. Sometimes miles of electrical and wind lines are used for all components of the organ.
Many of the traps and components are at various distances from each other. One example is the organ in New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The Wurlitzer Organ, installed in 1932, has 56 ranks – and is the largest original Wurlitzer installation. This one organ has more wiring than all of Rockefeller Center.
There are many large theatre organs located in various parts of the country. Locally, one can hear an authentic theatre organ concert on the Spreckels Organ, at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor Art Museum, at Lincoln Park in San Francisco.
Are you interested in playing the organ?
Before you can learn to play the organ, most teachers will advise you to study the piano for at least a year. The challenges involved in learning the organ—using the keyboards and foot pedals, plus learning to read the musical scores—makes learning this instrument difficult. One must be dedicated to master the organ.
Many thanks to Professor Donald Plondke, organist, pianist and vocalist, for his contribution to the research for this article.
Please submit your questions and comments to banddirector01@comcast.net
Visit our website at www.danville.org for up-to-date information about the Danville Community Band.
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