International projectionist (Jan 1963-June 1965)

tures catering to adolescent audiences, but the antipathy of most adults toward this kind of music must be taken into consideration. We recall a theatre that used the jazziest, most toe-tapping kind of barrelhouse piano music imaginable when "The World of Harold Lloyd" was playing. The effect was marvelous, and perfectly keyed to the rapid-fire pace of silent slapstick. (A perfect example of nickelodeon jazz highly recommended with silent comedy re-releases is Forum Hi-Fi 33%-RPM record no. F-9002, "Barrelhouse with Moe Wechsler.") This same theatre concentrates on theatre-organ music most of the time with good effect; and we are happy to add that all the recorded music used in that theatre is selected by the projectionists. Theatre Organ for the Theatre Organ music is peculiarly suited to the motion-picture theatre because of the amazing tonal range, versatility, and mood-evoking power of the orchestral pipe organ. Only the organ can whimper and coo with sentimental intimacy one moment, then blare forth with all the thundering, trumpeting majesty of a brass band the next. The Mighty Wurlitzer is the instrument of a thousand voices; and of all the instruments devised by man, it is the one that trulv glorifies music. Moviegoers greatly enjoy watching an organist performing at the console of a giant pipe organ. But "live" organ music during intermissions is a rarity today, inasmuch as most theatre managements are unwilling to hire an organist when phonograph records are so readily available at little cost. As a result, thousands of fine theatre organs have been neglected or dismantled; and few of the theatres built since 1930 ever had pipe organs in the first place. Only a handful of the largest and most famous motion-picture theatres, such as the Radio City Music Hall in New York, still spotlight the Mighty Wurlitzer as an added attraction — a real treat for moviegoers who cherish memories of the silents, and a delightful novelty for those whose memory does not go back so far. What is the physical structure of a giant movie organ capable of surpassing a symphony orchestra in tonal variety and sheer audio power? How does the "king of instruments" imitate sound effects ranging from a whispering breeze and the hoofbeats of a horse to the roar of a speeding locomotive and the crashing of thunder? How is all this audio mimicry combined with every con International Projectionist February, 1963 ceivable musical effect from the plaintive sobbing of a distant flute to the brassy fortissimo of a military band? — and all through the artistry of a single musician seated at a console which includes a bewildering array of keyboards, pedals, and "stop" tablets? The answer is simply that an organ is many instruments combined. No sound is emitted from the console of an organ. The console is fundamentally a complex switchboard. Even the keys of the keyboards are switches which operate electromagnets and pneumatic valves in the distant organ chambers containing, in addition to thousands of pipes, such percussive attachments as xylophones, chimes, celestes, drums, and pianos. Theatre organs are classified in various ways as, for example, the number of kinds, or "ranks," of pipes and the number of keyboards, or "manuals," in the console. In addition to the manually played keyboards, every organ has a pedal keyboard played with the left foot. The pedals supply the deep, resonant bass notes which accent the rhythm of the music. The organist's right foot works the "swell pedal" which regulates the volume of the sound. Since organ pipes "speak" under constant wind pressure to maintain true pitch, the swell pedal actually only operates a series of shutters which open up or close off the chambers in which the pipes are housed. There may be several swell pedals for different parts of the organ, and there are "effect pedals" for cymbals, drums, traps, gongs, etc. Complexity of a Theatre Organ Above the keyboards of an organ are rows of tabs called "stops." These are marked with the names of various solo instruments and distinctive organ voices. One may be labelled "violin," another "French horn." another "melodia," another "dulciana." and so on. Also indicated on the tabs is the musical pitch of each stop on the basis of 8 feet for the open diaposon pipe sounding the lowest note of the keyboard in "unison pitch" — the pitch of a particular "C" when the pipe is sounded by pressing the lowest key. Ranks of pipes pitched an octave lower than unison are designated 16 feet, those an octave higher than unison. 4 feet, an octave higher than this. 2 feet. In addition, there may be 5 1 /3. 3 1/5. 2 2/3, 1 1/5, and 1 1/3 foot stops that sound various G's and E's when a C is pressed on the keyboard. These modify the tone by adding new harmonics to the sound. The warm and vibrant tibia quint, for example, sounds both C and the G next above at the same time! The organist can couple together as many tones and pitches as he desires in order to obtain distinctive "registrations." Hundreds upon hundreds of registrations are possible on a large organ. An organ contains thousands of pipes, the largest ones 16 or 32 feet in length and the smallest ones no larger than penny whistles. Indeed, an organ is fundamentally a colossal agglomeration of horns and whistles together with bells, chimes, harps, vibraphones, pianos, bass drums, snare drums, cymbals, gongs, Chinese blocks, castanets, etc. Each of these is controlled by a stop tab or effect pedal in the console. The organ is thus a veritable one-man band which can be made to sound like almost anything imaginable, and is capable of effects no other instrument can give. All of the pipes and percussives of a theatre organ are housed in large rooms, called organ chambers, which open into the auditorium through the volume controlling "swell shutters" behind ornate grilles. The audience, accordingly, never sees the organ, itself, but only the organ-controlling console which the organist manipulates. All of the pipes of a theatre organ are behind swell shutters, but a classical organ has rows of large diapason pipes exposed to view. These cannot be controlled as to the volume with which thev are beard, and are generally played from the lowest keyboard of the console, called the "great organ." The second kevboard of a church organ plavs the enclosed pipes, and is called the "swell organ" because its loudness may be controlled with the swell pedal. This old terminology is retained in theatre organs even though any stop may usually be plaved through any keyboard. When there are four manuals, the third is called the "solo organ," and the fourth, the "echo organ." Tbe theatre organ is characterized by the distinctive instrumental tone dualities of its stops. Many of its pipes are much too piquant in tone for anv other kind of organ. Then, too. a church organ is usually played with unmodulated wind pressure, which results in a steady, rather monotonous tone. The theatre organ is nearly alwavs "tremulated" by means of a vibrato control. This varies the wind pressure in a gentle 3 cycles-per-second rhythm. The rich expressiveness of tone provided by the vibrato contrasts amazingly with