| During
the early silent film era, motion picture theatres throughout the
country engaged pit orchestras and pianists to provide the
background music for their stage shows and silent movies. With
the escalating costs of musician labor, not every performance could
afford the expense of an orchestra. This monetary constraint
was the inspiration for the concept of a "unit orchestra,"
where one musician could do the work of many.
The
unit orchestra, later known as the theatre pipe organ, was designed
with imitative orchestral tones in mind, rather than the customary
liturgical sounds found in church instruments. The theatre
organ has been described as part military band, part symphony
orchestra and part theatrical sound effects.
During
the late teens and early twenties, nearly every theatre, large and
small installed theatre pipe organs. Though they were
manufactured by many companies, the Wurlitzer product was considered
by far the best. The "Mighty Wurlitzer" enjoyed
familiarity with such names as Frigidaire, Victrola, and Kodak.
Organ
Stop's Wurlitzer theatre organ was built for the Denver Theatre and
was installed in 1927. The organ was used regularly until the
early 1930s. With the advent of the talking picture and the
1930s depression, the organ was rarely heard. It was silenced
when a fire in the auditorium caused extensive damage to the organ's
relay.
 In
the theatre, the organ was a style 260, having a three-manual
console and 15 ranks/sets of pipes. Organ Stop purchased the
instrument in the early 1970s and undertook the mammoth task of
rebuilding the instrument. Several additions were made to the
instrument by acquiring parts from other ill-fated Wurlitzers.
The resulting 23 rank organ was installed in our original facility
in 1975.
 The
enlargement and improvement of this instrument has been an ongoing
project... In 1997, a larger four manual
console was added to the instrument. The new console
is an exact replica of a "Fox Special" French case,
ornamented to match the famous Brooklyn Paramount Wurlitzer.
This is the largest console type ever designed and built by
Wurlitzer. Through the years, several rare sets of pipes have
been added to the organ, including a massive set of 32' wood
diaphones (visible from the front of the building). As of
2006, the organ boasts nearly 6000 pipes. The massive quantities
of wind required for operation are provided by four huge turbine
blowers (visible from the outside of the building in the blower
complex). The resulting instrument is the largest Wurlitzer
theatre organ in the world!
The
building's design is expressly for the enjoyment of patrons, with
the organ installed in four chambers at one end of the restaurant..
Forty-three foot ceilings provide unparalleled acoustics. The
console is "presented" on an 8000 pound rotating hydraulic
elevator. Many of the percussions (such as the xylophones,
glockenspiels, drums, etc.) are installed in the dining room for
greater audience appeal.
Main
Chamber
(Left Side)
Harmonic
Flute
Solo Gamba
Gamba Celeste
Vox Humana
Quintadena
Quintadena Celeste
Kinura Minor
Viol d' Orchestre
Viol Celeste
Concert Flute
Flute Celeste
Krumet
Main Brass Saxophone
Vox Humana Chorus IV
D Trumpet
Tibia Minor
Lieblich Flute
Salicional Celeste
Horn Diapason
Horn Diapason Celeste
Oboe Horn
Tuba Horn
Tibia Clausa
English Post Horn
Clarinet
Enclosed Traps & effects
Solo Diapason
Chorus Trumpet
Unenclosed
(Left Side)
Grand
Piano
Marimba Harp
Chrysoglott
Xylophone
Tuned Tympani
Bird
Duck
Police Whistle
Acme Siren
Pedal Tibia
Horse Hooves
Brush/Tap Cymbal
Snare Drum
Roll Cymbal
Bass Drum
Kettle Drum
Crash Cymbal
Cowbell
Castanets
Finger Cymbals
Wood Block
Doorbell
Choke Cymbal
Tambourine
Tuned Bird Whistles
Hi-Hat Cymbal
Sand Block
|
Center
The
Console
4
Manuals
276 Keys
798 Stops and Controls
Foundation
Chamber
(Above Console)
Vox
Humana
Vox Humana (Solo Scale)
Tibia Clausa - 25"
Solo Brass Trumpet - 15"
Serpent
Flauto Mirabillis - 25"
Solo Violin - 25"
Violin Celeste - 25"
Diaphonic Diapason - 25"
Tuba Mirabilis
Chimes
Chrysoglott
Xylophone
Glockenspiel
Unenclosed
(Center of Room)
Glockenspiel
Glockenspiel Celeste
(Back Wall)
Trumpet En Chamade
32' Contra Tibia
Diaphone
Chamber
(Front of Building)
32'
Wood Diaphone
(Large Scale) - 25"
|
Solo
Chamber
(Right Side)
Spitzflute
Spitzflute Celeste
Musette
Cello Violone
Cello Celeste
Orchestral Oboe
Kinura
Tibia Clausa
Tibia Plena
Solo String
Solo String Celeste
English Post Horn - 20"
Brass Saxophone
Brass Trumpet
Vox Humana
Principal
Vox Humana Minor
Cor Anglais
Rohr Flute
Violin
Violin Celeste
French Horn
Solo Clarinet
4 Rank Mixture
Open Diapason
Muted Viol Celeste
String Bass (electric)
Unenclosed
(right side)
Pedal
Tibia
Rinky Tink Piano
Solo Harp
Cathedral Chimes
Master Xylophone
Glockenstern
Vibraphone
Tuned Sleigh Bells
Klaxon Horn
Telephone Bell
Train Whistle
Sleigh Bells
Horse Hooves
Wood Block
Triangle
Tambourine
Castanets
Tweety Bird
Oogah Horn
Tom Tom Drum
Wind Chimes
Splash Cymbal
Bongo Drums
Conga Drum
Chinese Gong
Slide Whistle
Surf
Wurlitzer Accordian |
For more details
about The Mighty Wurlitzer, click on the links below:
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