Theatre Pipe Organ

[methodistgirl]

Corno, that one is pretty. I have seen theater organs and the way some
of them look awful. This one is pretty. It doesn't look as if it worked for
the circus somewhere. The pipe design looks like the one at my church.
judy tooley

[Alexander smith]

I now also have the CD holiday pipes and I never tire of listening to it!

[torganist]

Hi Corno Dolce,

Yes, I've heard of the Kirk Organ one time before ... can't exactly recall when it was, but most likely in one of my random ATOS searches for another member here.

Edit: found where ... on "The Organ Site" - a paid subscription site of the worlds largest organs. Amazing that there are no (yet) CD's of this monster.

Actually there are recordings done on the Kirk of Dunedin instrument but not in CD format -- they were done some time ago by the curator of the instrument, Terry Charles. The console is a reconditioned Moller theatre Organ console and the instrument is a hybrid with digital electronic voices interspersed with the pipe ranks. It's a fun instrument to play.

tom

[Krummhorn]

Hi Tom (torganist) ... welcome to the forum, btw

Thanks for sharing the information on the Kirk instrument. Do you get to play this organ on a regular basis?

[Corno Dolce]

Hello Tom,

Welcome aboard the Starship MIMF where everyone is a star. You'll find here a great many super-talented individuals with many different skills - please do make yourself feel right at home in our small corner of the Galaxy and stay for a spell.

Cheers

Corno Dolce

[glenn514]

A question for all you knowledgable theater organ folk: What happened to George Wright's "Hollywood Philharmonic Organ" after his death?

By the way, after over 40 years of making music and teaching in churches and schools, I seem to be coming back to my first "love"...theater organs!

Glenn Mahnke
Marengo, Illinois

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Glen514,

You ask an excellent question - I personally don't know what happened to that instrument but you might try www.atos.org - Their members will most likely have the answer you're looking for. Of course, my most highly esteemed colleague "Krummhorn" whose is a moderator on this forum has quite an impressive knowlege base about Theatre Organs might know about the instrument you mention.

Welcome to MIMF - Please do make yourself feel right at home and stay for a spell.

Cheers,

VADM Corno Dolce

[Krummhorn]

Hi Glenn,

Following GW's death in 1998, the organ was dismantled and removed from his Hollywood Hills home ... a beautiful home, perched high on a hill, with almost 360° views. I had met George once at his home - performing a very minor service call on his purchased Allen 620 Digital Theater organ. A gracious host, George treated me to a a short concert of ... believe it or not ... JS Bach. Yes, Mr. Wright could (and did) play the classical pieces of all the masters with the same finese that he played theater organ music.

The fate of his famed residence organ, dubbed the Hollywood Philharmonic Organ, is unknown. All we are certain is that it was dismantled and stored before his home was sold. There is some information about the console being owned by a private party, but where the pipework eventually wound of remains one of those mysteries we may never solve. It's unfortunate too, as GW did tons of voicing work on that instrument.


RAdm, Corno Dolce ...
You are much too kind, dear sir ... but I'll accept the nice words ...

[Arvin B]

I don't know much about the specific instrument in question, but somebody knows where it went. Somebody removed the pipes and sold them or stored them or whatever. So as long as the person who knows hasn't died the knowledge is out there, its just a matter of finding it.

If the work was done by a professional, then one could eventually find out. The community of professional pipe organ technicians is not that big. But if it was done by John Doe.....

Tommorrow I am working with a pipe organ technician who works in SoCal, and used to work exclusively in SoCal. I'll ask him over lunch if he knows anything about it.

Arvin

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Master Krummhorn,

Would you happen to know the link for the stoplist of the San Sylmar Wurlitzer?

Thanx,

CD

[Krummhorn]

Hi Corno Dolce,

So far, all I can find are a couple pics ... and those are not very good as they are "fisheye" photos. The instrument is housed inside the Nethercutt Museum, but their website is "sketchy" with little information about the Wurly, other than showing their program dates.

I'll keep searching though ... love surfing on the net.

[mamills]

AeroScore; That's a pretty neat selection of cockpits!!

Mike

[Corno Dolce]

Surprise - surprise - surprise:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ambtMkWNBj0

[Krummhorn]

The late George Wright also played classical organ pieces on the theater organ in his day. In fact, he enjoyed the classical repertoire as much as the theater classics he played.

I was at his home once and he played (from memory) a beautiful Bach Prelude and Fugue much to my surprise on his Allen Digital Theater organ. I was quite impressed - not only had I met THE master of the theater organ in person, but got to hear him play Bach just for me alone.

Organ Stop Pizza (Mesa, AZ) organists frequently play some of the larger classical pieces for organ on their IV/79 Wurlitzer ... Tu es petra (Henry Mulet) is one piece that Lew Williams plays quite often - spectacular.

[channing28208]

I have some questions about Theatre Organs My questions about Theatre Organs

1. Does a Theatre Organ have Organ Chimes
2. Has anyone ever Played songs on a Theatre Organ in All Organ Chimes I would love to hear a theatre play songs in All Organ Chimes Live in Person
3. Has Anyone ever Played these songs on a theatre Organ:
1. Stairway to heaven
2. Smoke On The Water
3. Light My Fire By The Doors
4. Jingle Bells
5. Frosty the Snowman
6. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
5. Pharaoh Pharaoh
6. Do Lord
7. Give Me Oil In My Lamp
8. Lord I lift your Name On High
9. Deep and Wide
10. Lean On Me
11. Ozzy Osbournes Crazy Train
12. Enter Sandman by Metallica
on a Pipe Organ I would Love to hear this Live in person on a theatre Organ in All Organ Chimes
4. Is there a theatre Organ in Charlotte, North Carolina that I can See Live in person



Channing