A theatre organ, also called a theater organ or cinema organ in the United Kingdom, is a type of pipe organ created to play music for silent films between the 1900s and the 1920s.

Theatre organs have curved rows of stop tabs, which are small, tongue-shaped switches, placed above and around the keyboards on their consoles. These consoles often had bright-colored stop tabs and built-in lights. In the United Kingdom, theatre organs commonly had large, clear covers on both sides of the console, with lights inside that changed colors. Over time, theatre organs were also placed in other places, such as public halls, sports stadiums, homes, and churches.

Although few of the original theatre organs remain, hundreds of theatre pipe organs are still found in public places around the world today. Many more are located in private homes.

Some theatre organs have been turned into digital recordings, which are used in software programs. These programs include free options like GrandOrgue and paid options like Hauptwerk. A popular free digital version is the 3/10 Redford Theatre Barton organ, along with a simpler 3/7 version and a more detailed 3/12 version. Another option is the Miditzer, which uses synthesized sounds instead of recordings from real organs.

History

At first, movies in large theaters used pit orchestras, while smaller venues used pit pianists. The first organs in theaters were church organs. These organs were not well suited to accompany the film and the performance.

The earliest theatre organs were modified pianos with a few rows of pipes and various sound effects. These were placed in one cabinet and usually located in the pit area. These were called photoplayers.

Robert Hope-Jones created a concept he called a "unit orchestra." This idea was developed and promoted by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company in North Tonawanda, New York. A new type of instrument, the Wurlitzer Hope Jones Unit-Orchestra, or theatre organ, was created. Soon, hundreds of these instruments were ordered from Wurlitzer and other companies that copied the design.

The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, which had licensed Robert Hope-Jones's name and patents, became the most well-known maker of theatre organs. The term "Mighty Wurlitzer" became a common name for theatre organs. After disagreements with Wurlitzer management, Robert Hope-Jones committed suicide in 1914.

After World War I, theatre organs appeared in European cinemas. Some came from Wurlitzer, while other European companies, such as M. Welte & Söhne and Walcker in Germany, and Standaart in the Netherlands, also built theatre organs.

After sound movies were developed, theatre organs stayed in many theaters to provide live music between films. After the 1920s and 1930s, many organs were removed from theaters and sold to churches, homes, museums, ice rinks, rollatoriums, and restaurants.

In 1933, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) bought and installed its first organ in Broadcasting House, London. The first full-scale BBC Theatre Organ was used for broadcasts in 1936 from St George's Hall, which was across the street from Broadcasting House.

In the 1950s, the development of high-fidelity recordings and LP phonograph records sparked new interest in theatre organs. This period also saw the creation of the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS), which was originally called the American Theatre Organ Enthusiasts (ATOE).

These were the major builders of theatre organs, listed in order of production. The numbers listed here are for theatre organs only.

Technical aspects

A theatre organ, like a traditional pipe organ, uses pressurized air to create musical sounds. However, theatre organs have special features called unification, duplexing, and extension that make them more flexible. A rank of pipes can be extended by adding pipes above and below the original pitch. This allows the organist to play the same rank at different pitches by choosing specific stop tabs.

The electro-pneumatic action was created by Robert Hope-Jones. Before the early 1900s, pipe organs used tracker, tubular pneumatic, or pneumatic Barker-lever systems. These systems connected keys and pedals to pipe valves through wooden trackers, except in tubular pneumatic systems, where air pressure operated all actions. Hope-Jones’ electro-pneumatic action used electric solenoids to control pipe valves and pistons to manage stop tabs, keys, pedals, and other controls on the console. This system allowed the console to be separated from the organ. Signals from the console traveled through an electric cable to an electro-pneumatic relay, which then sent instructions to the pipes and effects in the organ chambers.

Theatre organs often include chromatic or tuned percussion instruments. Hope-Jones added instruments like xylophones, wood harps, chimes, sleigh bells, chrysoglotts, and glockenspiels, which were operated by air or electricity to mimic orchestral versions of these instruments.

Wurlitzer added other effects, such as drums, cymbals, wood blocks, and non-chromatic percussion, to help theatre organs accompany silent movies. Examples of sound effects included car horns and flings.

Traditional organ consoles were too small to control theatre organs because they required many draw knobs, making the console too large for an organist to reach all controls while playing. To solve this, the horseshoe console was developed. Inspired by a curved French design, it used stop tabs instead of draw knobs. This allowed the organist to access any stop or control easily while playing. The smaller stop tabs also made it possible to add more stops on the console than a traditional design could support.

New and old organs

Some organs that are sometimes called "new" have been built recently. These organs are made mostly from parts of older theatre organs, and new parts like pipework, windchests, and consoles are added.

Some of these repaired and updated organs have had their original electro-pneumatic relays replaced with electronic or computerized relays and modern electronic consoles.