So what is a cinema or theatre organ (“cinema” in UK, “theatre” in USA)? Essentially, it is the characteristic horseshoe-console organ with tongue-shaped stop tabs that entertained cinema audiences up to the introduction of talking movies in the late 1920’s, and still entertains an admittedly smaller audience of organ enthusiasts today.
Above is the famous Blackpool Tower Wurlitzer - a classic White and Gold console.
The cinema organ developed though the talents of an English organ builder, Robert Hope-Jones, whose collaboration with the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company of North Tonawanda, New York, resulted in the first Cinema Organs, known as “Unit Orchestras”. This term aptly describes the true function of the instrument, which was to effectively replace the orchestras used in cinemas before the advent of sound in film.
The cinema organ is more versatile that a traditional church organ, partly due to technical differences in its design. It’s characteristic sound is produced in part by the use of smoother, broader tremulants than a church organ uses, and also by use of new tonal colours, such as the Tibia Clausa, the rich, flute-like foundation stop of the cinema organ. It also has a battery of real percussion instruments such as drums, piano, cymbals, xylophone, marimba, orchestra bells, chimes, castanets, and even tuned sleigh bells. Also, sound effects such as train and boat whistles, car horns, sirens, bird whistles, and an imitation of ocean surf that could be used to great effect during a silent film.
Many different organ builders made cinema organs with their own distinctive pipe voicing and designs, such as Robert Morton, Barton, Kimball and Moller in the USA, and Compton and Christie in the UK.
With the demise of the role for cinema organs in the cinema itself, it was often heard in concerts, radio and television broadcasts through to the 1960’s. The advent of recording also led to many LP’s by such organists as George Wright, Buddy Cole, and “Mr Blackpool”, Reginald Dixon.
Today there are sadly only a few such instruments still in their original locations, while others have been preserved by dedicated enthusiasts in private homes, concert halls, and even pizza parlours, not to mention the Habitat store in Regent Street, London!
On the CD’s and MP3 page I include a track played using the Miditzer, which gives an idea of the type of the beautiful tone colours available on a cinema organ. You can also hear Buddy Cole demonstrating different sounds on his own studio Wurlitzer by going to the following link (ATOS site) : Buddy Cole Demos