Houston Theatre Organ Society

Transcription

1 Houston Theatre Organ Society

2 Table of Contents History of the HTOS Wurlitzer 3 Console 8 Tonal Specifications 11 Layout of the Chambers 15 Mechanism of the Organ 23 Pipe Families 30 Percussions 35 An Organ Glossary 37 References 40 Links 41 Credits 42

3 History: Where It Came From Wurlitzer Factory North Tonawanda, NY Illustration from Internet

4 The HTOS Wurlitzer Date Built: 1926, Style 235, Opus 1501, Shipped from North Tonawanda, NY on November 8, Original Location: The new Egyptian-themed Metropolitan Theatre in Houston was built by Jesse Jones for $2M. The organ was installed in time for the theatre s opening on Christmas Day, It became unplayable around 1940 and remained in the theatre until it was removed in It was then restored and installed in a residence in the Memorial area. Acquisition by HTOS: The organ became available in the mid 1990s and was purchased by the late Dr. Tim Hastings and donated to the Houston Area Theatre Organ Society (HATOS, now Houston Theatre Organ Society, HTOS). Installation of the organ in the Houston Community College Auditorium was carried out from 1994 to 1997 by volunteers from HATOS and the San Jacinto High School Alumni Association under the direction of Richard Willson. Console: Horseshoe configuration, Three manuals and Pedal Ranks: Originally 11, now expanded to 16 with over 1100 pipes Chambers: Two Solo (right) and Main (left) Blowers: Two 7.5 hp Spencer Orgoblo blowers. Control System: Uniflex 3000 relay and combination action controls the organ. It also incorporates record, playback, and MIDI capabilities.

5 Original Venue Photo above: Courtesy of Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library The original home of Wurlitzer 235 Opus 1501 in the Metropolitan Theatre in downtown Houston, Texas Photo at right: Creative Commons license by B. Deen; Cinema Treasures Website

6 Current Venue The Houston Community College Auditorium Central Campus 1300 Alabama Houston, TX 77004

7 Theatre Organ in Action Playing to a silent movie in the Houston Community College Auditorium, January 2015

8 HTOS Console

9 HTOS Console

10 Drawing by Harold Wade

11 Solo Chamber Tonal Specification Tibia Clausa 8, 4, 2 Solo String 8, 4 Kinura 8 Orchestral Oboe 8 Tuba 16, 8 Trumpet 8 (beginning at tenor C*), 4 English Post Horn 8 Vox Humana 8 *Tenor C = octave below middle C Tuned Sleigh Bells 25 Straps Xylophone 37 bars Marimba/Harp 49 bars Cathedral Chimes 25 tubes Glockenspiel/Orchestral Bells 30 bars Bass Drum/Kettle Drum 2 actions

12 Solo Chamber

13 Tonal Specification Main Chamber Tibia Clausa 8 Diaphonic Diapason 8 Viol d Orchestre 8, 4, 2 Viol d Orchestre Celeste 8 Salicional/Cello 8, 4 Salicional Celeste 8 (beginning at Tenor C*) Flute 8 Bourdon 16 Clarinet 8 Diaphone 16 *Tenor C = octave below middle C Toy Counter (See Main Chamber Layout for details) Vibraharp/Chrysoglott 49 bars

14 Vibraharp/Chrysoglott Main Chamber

15 Layouts of Chambers Main Solo Console Stage As viewed from auditorium seating.

16 Solo Chamber Pipe Layout Solo String Offset Swell Shades Swell Shades S Tibia Offset Diapason T Trumpet Post Horn Vox Humana Tuba Offset Tuba Offset Solo String S Tuba Tibia Oboe Tibia Treble Offset Kinura

17 Solo Chamber Upper Level Percussions Tuned Sleigh Bells Xylophone Marimba/Harp Marimba/Harp Chimes

18 Solo Chamber Mid-Level Percussions Glockenspiel/Orchestral Bells Bass/Kettle Drum

19 Solo Chamber Reservoirs and Tremulants (Solo Blower located on top of Solo Chamber) (WP = Wind Pressure; WC = Water Column) *Solo Tremulant Affects: Trumpet Solo String Oboe Kinura Reservoir WP = 12 WC Tibia VOX V Tremulant Reservoir WP = 6 WC Vox Humana Reservoir WP = 15 WC Static Tibia & Tuba Bass Offsets Reservoir WP = 10 WC Static Post Horn Solo* Tremulant Reservoir WP = 10 WC Trumpet Solo String Oboe Kinura Reservoir WP = 15 WC Static Percussion & Swell Shades Reservoir WP = 15 WC Tuba Tuba Tremulant Tibia Tremulant

20 Main Chamber Pipe Layout Swell Shades Diapason Offset Diaphone Bourdon Bourdon Tibia Salicional Celeste Flute Viol d Orchestre Celeste Salicional Viol d Orchestre Diapason Clarinet Swell Shades Viol d Orchestre Offset Cello Flute Offset

21 Main Chamber Traps & Percussion Toy Counter* Klaxon *Includes: Triangle Castanets Steamboat Whistle Snare Drum Tambourine Auto Horn Bird Whistle Crash Cymbal Cymbal Siren Surf Vibraharp/Chrysoglott

22 Main Chamber & Main Blower Room Reservoirs & Tremulants (WP = Wind Pressure; WC = Water Column) Reservoir WP = 10 WC Tibia Flute Strings Reservoir WP = 10 WC Clarinet/Diapason Reservoir Static WP = 11 WC for Offsets WP = 16 WC for Percussions & Shades *(Flute/String Tab) Tibia Flute Strings **(Clarinet/Diapason Tab) Diapason Clarinet Tremulant* (Upper) Tremulant** (Lower) Blower

23 Mechanism Console Electrical Signals Pipes Windchest Reservoir Tremulant (for some stops) Wind Trunks Blower

24 Wurlitzer Windchest Sequence of Operation 1. Not activated. All areas (in blue) are at windchest pressure of about 15 of water (~0.6 psi). 2. A keypress activates an electromagnet which lifts an armature, opening a small air channel to atmospheric pressure (in white). This allows a small primary pneumatic to evacuate (collapse). 3. Primary pneumatic opens a valve allowing a secondary pneumatic to evacuate (collapse). 4. Secondary pneumatic pulls a Pallet valve open, admitting air to the foot of a pipe causing it to speak. Illustration by Johan Liljencrants

25 Cutaways of Pneumatic Action Illustrations by Johan Liljencrants

26 Pneumatic Components Reservoirs/Regulators Pallet Primary Pneumatics Secondary Pneumatic Secondary Pneumatics and Pallet Valves

27 Wurlitzer Magnet Photo Courtesy of the Cinema Organ Society, UK

28 Main Chamber Tremulants

29 Blowers Diagram Courtesy of Jack Hardman Solo Chamber Main Chamber

30 Pipe Families Flues: Sound produced by wind impinging on pipe lip Diapasons Flutes Strings Reeds: Sound produced by metal reed vibrating against a shallot; timbre controlled by resonator Trumpet Oboe Clarinet Tuba Post horn Vox Humana Kinura Diaphone: Low frequency sound produced by pneumatic oscillator; used in theatre organs and foghorns

31 Pipe Types Diaphone Illustrations taken from Internet Reed Flue

32 HTOS Organ Pipes (left to right, Solo) Tuba, Tibia, Oboe

33 HTOS Organ Pipes (left to right, Solo) Vox Humana, English Post Horn, Trumpet, Solo String

34 HTOS Organ Pipes (left to right, Main) Diapason, Viol d Orchestre, Viol d Orchestre Celeste, Salicional, Flute, Salicional Celeste, Tibia, Diapason offset seen on back wall

35 Percussions Toy Counter Marimba Xylophone

36 More Percussions Bass/Kettle Drum Chimes Glockenspiel Klaxon

37 An Organ Glossary Celeste: A rank tuned slightly sharp to its accompanying rank in order to produce an undulating sound. Classical Organ: An organ based upon the Diapason chorus. Chorus: A selection of stops at various pitches and timbres within a given pipe family which are voiced for blending together. Ex: A diapason chorus consisting of 8, 4, 2 2/3, 2 stops. Diapason: A flue pipe with a rich harmonic composition. English Post Horn: A theatre organ chorus reed used to simulate orchestral brass. Flue Pipe: A pipe which produces sound by directing wind against the upper lip of the pipe mouth. Flute: A large family of flue pipes with limited harmonic development and strong fundamental tone. Harmonics: The overtones or multiples of frequency produced by the pipe. Mutation: A stop which is voiced to produce a harmonic not at octave multiples of the base pitch. Ex: A 2 2/3 stop produces the twelfth harmonic (a G twelve notes above C) when C is pressed. It is called the Twelfth when voiced as a Diapason or a Nazard when voiced as a Flute. Pipe Length: The length in feet of the pipe at the low C of the organ keyboard. An 8 pipe produces the same pitch as a piano key at a similar point on the keyboard. A 16 pipe produces the note an octave below, a 4 pipe produces the note an octave above, etc.

38 Glossary Pipe Scale: The relative diameter of a pipe which affects the harmonic development and power. Reed Pipe: The reed pipe consists of two parts, the short lower part or boot which contains the sound producing parts and the tall resonator. A thin metal reed vibrates against a metal channel, the shallot, which transmits the air to the resonator. A tuning wire adjusts the free length of the reed. String: A narrow scale flue pipe with accentuated development of the upper harmonics. Ex: Viole d Orchestre, Cello, Salicional, etc. Stop: A rank of pipes of identical tone color played as a group and having a dedicated switch (Stop) on the console. Stopped Pipe: A pipe with a cap which causes it to sound only odd-numbered harmonics and to sound the fundamental of a pipe that would be physically twice as tall. (An 8 stopped pipe is only 4 tall.) Ex: Bourdon, Gedackt, Tibia, etc. Theatre Organ: An organ based upon Tibias with a collection of strong reeds and also with percussions and sound effects to enable simulation of an orchestra a one man unit orchestra. Tibia Clausa: A large scale, powerful, stopped, wood Flute with little harmonic development, usually used with a strong tremulant.

39 Glossary Timbre: Tone color resulting from the mixture of harmonics produced by the pipe. Tremulant: A device for introducing a regular variation into the wind supply to produce a wavering sound. Trumpet: A reed pipe with a tapered resonator flared at the top producing a sound reminiscent of the orchestral instrument of the same name. Toy Counter: A collection of percussion and special effects items on theatre organs. Tuba: A powerful chorus reed with a conical resonator. Unification: The practice of using a rank of pipes at many pitches and across divisions of the organ. Ex.: A Tibia may be used at 16, 8, 4, 2, 2 2/3, 1 with stops located on several manuals. This practice was widely used by Robert Hope- Jones, the father of the modern theatre organ. Vox Humana: A reed stop of the Regal class (meaning with a short resonator). It uses a short, cylindrical, capped resonator. As the name implies, it was originally developed in an attempt to imitate the human voice in the late 1500 s. It is usually used with a Tremulant. Wind Chest: The box upon which the pipes sit. It contains the wind channels and valve mechanisms for operating the pipes.

40 References Today many reference materials are available online. The following list is provided for those who wish to delve deeper. Audsley, George Ashdown, The Art of Organ Building, 2 vols, 1965, Dover, New York. Sumner, William Leslie, The Organ, 544 pp, 1962, Macdonald, London. Barnes, William H., The Contemporary American Organ, 389 pp, 1964, J. Fischer & Bro., Glen Rock, NJ. Jamison, James Blaine, Organ Design and Appraisal, 165 pp, 1959, H. W. Gray Co., New York. Audsley, George Ashdown, The Organ of the Twentieth Century, 519 pp, 1970, Dover, New York. Goode, Jack C., Pipe Organ Registration, 208 pp, 1964, Abingdon Press, New York. Audsley, George Ashdown, Organ Stops and Their Artistic Registration, 294 pp,2002, Dover, New York. Shannon, John R., Understanding the Pipe Organ, 192 pp, 2009, McFarland & Co., Jefferson, North Carolina & London. Eddington, Jelani, The Art of Theatre Organ Arranging, 125 pp, Vol. 1, 2009, RJE Publications, Racine, WI.

41 Links Houston Theatre Organ Society American Theatre Organ Society Encylopedia of Organ Stops Hardman Studio Wurlitzer Aeolian Manor Foundation Cinema Organ Society Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ Stockholm Skandia Wurlitzer Restoration Compiled 2015 by Kenneth Warren

42 April 4, 2015 Photo Credits Some of the illustrations are marked as taken from the Internet. Permission has been granted for those indicated as copyrighted. These include the Metropolitan Theatre interior ( Houston Metropolitan Research Center MSS ), the Wurlitzer magnet drawing ( Cinema Organ Society), and the blower cutaway drawing (Jack Hardman). The photo of the front of the Metropolitan Theatre is from B. Deen at Cinema Treasures Website and is used under a Creative Commons license. For others, no copyright information was indicated. These include the illustrations by Johan Liljencrants from the Skandia Wurlitzer restoration. The console controls drawing for the HTOS Wurlitzer was done by Harold Wade. All other photographs and line drawings by the author. Revision L Kenneth Warren 2015 (Excluding illustrations noted as being from Internet)