NATIONAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA (NSW)
CLASSIFICATION REPORT
Moveable Heritage

LOCALITY Allawah POSTCODE 2220

ITEM NAME 3/15 Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ Style 260 (Special) Opus 1808 Former Regent Theatre, Sydney Wurlitzer Organ

ADDRESS Lily Street, Allawah

 

LGA:	HURSTVILLE
OWNER:	JOHN ATKINSON
PROPONENT:	GRAHAM QUINT
AUTHOR:	GRAHAM QUINT
DATE OF PROPOSAL:	22ND November 2006

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

The Regent Renaissance: The Atkinson Residence Organ, Ian Hanson, 1987

Website of the Theatre Organ Society of Australia (SA):.TOSA(SA) owned 2 Manual 12 Rank Wurlitzer, formerly in Wyatt Hall, Pulteney Grammar School, Adelaide.
American Theatre Organ Society:  The Story of the Theatre Organ by David C. Kelzenberg
Historic Organs of  New South Wales: The Instruments, their makers and players, 1791-1940, Graeme D. Rushworth
Gibson Guitar Corp. acquires Deutsche Wurlitzer: Media Release, July 5, 2006, Deutsche Wurlitzer USA Website (http://www.deutsche-wurlitzerusa.com/)
Encyclopaedia of Australian Theatre Organs: Ian McIve, 2006, Website: - http://theatreorgans.com/southerncross/Contents%20Page.htm

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The 3/15 Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ currently installed at Lily Street, Hurstville is significant because of its: -

Aesthetic Value:

The combination of the organ’s beautiful crafting in polished American Mahogany, its neo-classical style and the spectacular horseshoe-shaped console with its three stepped manuals and banks of brightly coloured stop tabs produce the distinctive and attractive appearance that typified the Wurlitzer organ and made it so visually appealing in the pride of place devoted to it in the largest and most luxurious picture palaces.

While traditionally not seen by the public, the organ chamber with its ranks of pipes and instruments is in itself an item of high aesthetic quality and intriguing appearance.

The sound of the Wurlitzer, including its diversity, tonal quality and dynamic range is distinctive, has great appeal and is instantly evocative of the historic picture palaces with which it was so strongly associated.

Historic Value:

It is historically significant for its association with popular entertainment, particularly the development of the cinema in NSW and its connections with the much loved Sydney Regent Theatre, one of Australia’s grandest and largest cinemas. It is the only surviving major remnant of the Regent Theatre

This organ is rare as it is the only surviving, intact, Wurlitzer organ of its style and configuration in NSW, is the earliest surviving three manual organ in the state and is one of only seven Wurlitzers remaining in NSW.

It has historic significance as its survival is linked with its previous owner’s original intention to use some of its pipes, in the construction of an organ for the Sydney Opera House.

The Wurltizer has historic significance because it was the world’s first ‘stereophonic’ instrument with pipe chambers on either side of the screen. It was also the first music synthesizer, deliberately setting out to recreate the sounds of various orchestral instruments.

Scientific Value:
The organ is scientifically important for its ability to illustrate technological advances in the construction of organs, which in the nineteenth century were primarily used for sacred music and in its use of electricity giving more flexibility and allowing the freeing of the console from the pipe chest, and the location of the organ console at a distance from the pipe chest.
It is also scientifically important as a resource for sampling to produce audio computer files for the development of computer based simulations. While it is possible to copy the sound of the Wurlitzer, such copies cannot replicate the depth, dynamic range and full tonal qualities of the original sound. It is likely that with future improvements in technology these copies will continually improve and hence the Wurlitzer will remain an important scientific resource.
Social Value:
The esteem which the community holds for the Wurlitzer Organ is evidenced by the number of historical associations, private individuals, corporations and enthusiasts willing to devote years to restoring, rebuilding and re-presenting these instruments.
In the case of the Regent Theatre Organ, sixteen talented individuals worked on the restoration of the organ over eighteen years and many of these are still contributing to the ongoing maintenance of the organ.
Recitals given on the organ have no difficulty in attracting maximum audiences with no publicity and recent recitals of the Cremorne Orpheum Wurlitzer have also attracted near capacity crowds in excess of 500 people.

HISTORY

The musical tradition of the Wurlitzer family can be traced back to the 17th century. The forefathers of Rudolph Wurlitzer, who emigrated to America in 1853 at the age of 24, had already made a name for themselves in Saxony as manufacturers of and dealers in musical instruments. Rudolph Wurlitzer founded The Wurlitzer Company in 1856, importing musical instruments and opened sales outlets in all big American cities.
He started production of pianos in America in 1880. Farny Wurlitzer, youngest son of the firm’s founder, bought a patented music box mechanism in the early Thirties, and took on its inventor, Homer Capehart, and a brilliant designer named Paul Fuller.
This was the beginning of the ‘golden era’ for Wurlitzer as it began producing jukeboxes which played the old 78 shellac records. During this time, the jukebox became the “small man’s concert hall.
The American Rudolph Wurlitzer Company formerly a producer of stringed instruments, woodwind, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs (orchestrions), electric pianos and jukeboxes built its pipe organs from 1914 to around 1940 in its North Tonawanda factory in New York. The Wurlitzer organ was designed, originally by Robert Hope-Jones, as a “one man orchestra” to accompany silent movies. In all, Wurlitzer built over 2,200 pipe organs (and indeed more theatre organs than the rest of the theatre organ manufacturers combined).
Many of the innovations which furthered the evolution of theatre organ design simply allowed it to do its job better. Although not all of these ideas originated with Robert Hope-Jones, he was the first to successfully employ and combine many of these innovations within a single organ aesthetic. Some of these important developments are:

Electro-pneumatic action

This uses low-voltage electricity to transmit the action of the organ keys to the pipes. Earlier church instruments used a mechanical linkage of rods and wires to connect the keys to the pipes. With the new system, the console (also known as a key-desk) could be placed at virtually any distance from the organ’s pipes and could be somewhat portable, as just an electrical cable and flexible wind line connected the console with other parts of the instrument. This also allowed the console to achieve its ubiquitous place—on an elevator platform in front of the stage, low in the orchestra pit for accompanying the film, and rising majestically to stage height for organ solos.

Unification

Previously, each rank of pipes could be played on only one manual (keyboard) at one pitch level. (A rank is one graduated set of similar pipes that produces a distinct “sound” or tonal color.) In other words, there was one pipe for each key on the keyboard. With the advent of unification, ranks were extended by adding more pipes and made playable at different pitch levels, and on different manuals. Thus, fewer ranks (but with more pipes) could be used in a wide variety of combinations and pitches, and on different manuals simultaneously.

Horseshoe console

To turn the pipe ranks on and off, the traditional organ console used drawknobs placed on panels on both sides of the manuals. Using electricity, Robert Hope-Jones substituted tongue-shaped tabs arranged on a curved panel around and above the manuals. These stop tabs could be quickly and easily flipped up or down to select or deactivate any ranks of pipes.

Traps, toy counter, and effects

Real musical instruments, not previously associated with the pipe organ, were installed in the pipe chambers to be pneumatically operated at will by the organist. Such instruments as piano, drums, cymbals, xylophone, marimba, orchestra bells, chimes, castanets, woodblock, and even tuned sleigh bells could be played from the organ keyboards. Sound effects such as train and boat whistles, car horns, sirens, bird whistles, and an imitation of ocean surf could be used to great effect at appropriate times during a silent film.

Increased wind pressure, pipe placement, and volume control

Higher wind pressures increased the speaking volume of theatre organ pipes, and they were placed in chambers, usually high in the auditorium. The fronts of these chambers were covered with a set of swell shades which opened and closed like venetian blinds. When closed, the sound of the organ was reduced to a whisper. With a foot pedal, the organist could gradually open the shutters to produce louder and louder sounds from the same pipes. Although this type of swell chamber was not new, theatre organ developments permitted a much broader dynamic range than ever before.

Tremulants

Although the organ tremulant had existed for centuries, it was dramatically refined and changed in the theatre organ, and was used in entirely new ways. Traditional organs used tremulants only occasionally on solo stops. The theatre organ tremulants—smoother and broader than ever before—now became the standard, defining characteristic of theatre organ sound.

New tonal colors

Robert Hope-Jones and others designed many new kinds of pipes in an effort to create colorful sounds for the theatre organ. Many of these new stops attempted to imitate the sounds of real orchestral instruments, while others simply contributed unique new colors to the tonal palette. Important new stops invented or refined by Hope-Jones included the Tibia Clausa, Tibia Plena, and the Diaphone.
After some major disagreements with the Wurlitzer management, Robert Hope-Jones took his own life in 1914 -- but not before profoundly influencing the development of the theatre organ.
Between 1917 and 1938, twelve Wurlitzer organs were brought to Sydney for installation in theatres and residences:
1917       Blakehurst, E. Dodd residence; 2/7. style ‘H’ Opus 129. Sold to Romano’s Restaurant, Sydney/Regent Theatre, Wentworthville (1940) /G. Newell residence (1960), Masonic hall, Belmore (1975) (current status of organ unknown – Console to Terry Lloyd, Canberra)

1921       Elizabeth Bay, W.A. Crowle residence; 2/7, style ‘Special’ Opus 388. Sold 1928 to O.C. Hearne, Geelong, Victoria, now in storage in Melbourne.

1922       Sydney, Rialto Theatre; 2/4, Style 135 Opus 324. Lyric/Wintergarden Theatre (1924) Present location unknown, possibly incorporated into Arthur Lord’s Residence organ

1924       Sydney, Prince Edward Theatre; 2/10, style ‘H’ Opus 875. Removed, installed c.1968 at Marrickville Town Hall (owned by Theatre Organ Society of Australia (NSW)

1926       Chatswood, Arcadia Theatre; 2/10, style ‘H’ Opus 1167. Removed, installed 1972 at Willoughby Town Hall

1928       Sydney, Regent Theatre; 2/8 Style F Opus 1730. Removed May, 1929 to Plaza Theatre, Melbourne (expanded to 2/12 by Wurlitzer), Pulteney Grammar School, Adelaide (1970) owned by Theatre Organ Society of Australa (SA), now in storage awaiting s new home.

1928       Sydney, Regent Theatre; 3/15 Style 260 (Special) Opus 1808. Removed 1960s; now at residence of J. Atkinson, Hurstville

1928       Potts Point, W. A. Crowle residence; 2/13, style R15, Opus 1879. Sold c.1932 to New Civic Theatre, Auburn; sold c. 1958 to J. Clancy, Wentworthville.

1928       Sydney, Capitol Theatre; 3/15, style ‘260’ Opus 1813. Sold c.1976 to Theatre Organ Society. Now installed at Orion Centre, Campsie

1928       Kings Cross, Kings Cross Theatre; 2/10, style ‘H’ Opus 1868. Sold 1930s to Savoy Theatre, Hurstville; sold 1958 and installed at Uniting (Congegational) Church, Burwood. Sold 1998 and installed at residence of S. McDonald, Carrs Park, sold to private purchaser in Victoria.

1929       Sydney, State Theatre; 4/21, style 270 Special, Opus 2005. Dual consoles. Duplicate console sold to A. Lord, Killara/J. Clancy, Wentworthville.

1938       Sydney, Plaza Theatre; 2/7-8, Style 185S Opus 748. Installed ex Wintergarden Theatre, Brisbane (original installation 1924). Residence P. Hughes, Bexley (1958), Residence M. Pfitzner, Darwin (1971), Capri Theatre, Goodwood, SA (1983 – owned by Theatre Organ Society of  Australia (SA), as is theatre, opened in 1982 as 4/13 and gradually enlarged to 4/29 – completed 1995)

1963       Lawson, Residence – Dr K. King,; 3/15, Style 260 (grand piano), Opus 2040; ex Brisbane Regent Theatre (1929); Moved 2005 to Brisbane for new Arts Centre

1978       Victory/Mecca Theatre Kogarah; 3/8; Style UNN3 Opus 2223; 1990s A. Tranter (in store, Bexley)

1987       Cremorne Orpheum Theatre; 3/12, Style 235 Opus 1217 (built 1925 for Wilson Theatre, Fresno, California, USA

 

Sydney’s Regent Theatre opened on Friday March 9, 1928 with Greta Garbo in “Flesh and the Devil” an old silent epic. One critic wrote at the time that the theatre and music were more enjoyable than the film.
Seated at the console of the first Wurlitzer was American, Roy Devaney from the Tower Theatre, Los Angeles. Devaney was the replacement organist for Samuel Mensch, also an American. The Wurlitzer at that time consisted of only 2 manuals and 8 ranks of pipes.
It was considered  by many to be inadequate for such a large theatre (seating capacity in 1928 was 2,300). Something needed to be done to rectify the situation especially as Union Theatres were well on the way to completion of their “Atmospheric” Capitol in Haymarket, and installing a much larger Wurlitzer.
Hoyts decided in late 1928 to replace the small organ with an instrument of equal proportions to that installed at the “Capitol”. In 1927 the gigantic “Capitol” Theatre in Perth opened and provision made for the installation of a large Wurlitzer organ. The planned instrument was dispatched from the USA in 1928 but the organ, of 3 manuals and 15 ranks of pipes was redirected to Sydney and the Regent Theatre and was officially opened by American, Wallace Kotter. The cost of this organ was 25,000 pounds (in the order of $1.5 million in today’s money). The first performance was given on March 11, 1929.
The smaller organ was moved on to the Plaza Theatre in Melbourne and installed with an extra four pipe ranks, becoming a 2/12 organ. The Theatre Organ Society of Australia (SA) purchased the organ in 1968 and removed it from the Plaza. It was then installed in Wyatt Hall at the Pulteney Grammar School which was its home from 1970 to 2004. The opening concert in Wyatt Hall was in December, 1970. The organ is now in storage awaiting a new home.
The new Wurlitzer became a popular instrument, despite the cessation of silent films. Radio broadcasts and the ever popular intermission music as well as special organ interludes assured patrons of high standards of musical presentation being maintained and backed by a twenty piece orchestra.
The early organists at the Regent theatre were all Americans. Wallace Kotter was replaced by Eddie Ford who had played the giant Kimball organ of the famous Roxy theatre, New York. Other early organists that appeared were Leslie V. Harvey and Eddie Fitch. The latter being the first organist at Sydney’s Plaza Theatre.
Commencing from March 21 1931 Owen Holland  became the Regent’s longest service organist. He was also the first Australian to play in an official capacity on the organ. Holland’s sojourn at the Regent lasted for fourteen years. Stan Cummins followed and he remained at the post until 1958. The last organist was Reubert Hayes and on Saturday 29th May, 1960 the Wurltizer was heard for the last time in the Regent Theatre.
A decision in 1963 saw Hoyts sell the Wurlitzer to organ builder Ron Sharpe, who intended to salvage only some of the pipe work and incorporate this into the new Sydney Opera House organ. Plans were changed and it was decided to build a new organ for the Sydney Opera House and the Regent Wurlitzer was once again up for sale. In 1967 it was announced that John Atkinson had purchased the Wurltizer.
At this time parts of the organ were still inside the Regent Theatre. The 12 large 32 foot organ pipes had to be removed from a precarious position in the ceiling, and the electrical relays and switches together with their cables were another large item still in situ at the Regent.
The last parts of the Regent Wurlitzer were moved in 1968 to John’s home at Hurstville, where it was reunited with the rest of the organ which had been in storage with Ron Sharpe.
As the years passed, John and a few friends painstakingly re-leathered and restored the whole organ, even though an eventual home seemed light years away.
Finally, it was decided to take the plunge and build a special home in which a large lounge/dining room would be included with provision for organ chambers. After nine months of work the organ was basically installed.
On Sunday October 17, 1985 after 18 years hard work and 25 years of silence the first sounds of the lush Regent Wurlitzer were heard once more, during a thank you party for the workers.
The work done by John and his family together with a small band of helpers has been dedicated, incessant and the high standard can be seen today with the quality of sound which the instrument produces.
The Sydney Regent Theatre was demolished in 1989 just two years after its Wurlitzer was restored and brought back to life. Bulldozers climbed the marble grand staircase of the theatre smashing the interiors rather than recycling and disposing of valuable materials to other theatre operators or enthusiasts. Consequently very little of the interiors of the theatre have survived with the great exception of its Wurlitzer which demonstrates that out of such mindless destruction there can yet be a contrasting story of dedication to and belief in the principles of conserving our history for future generations to understand and enjoy.
The organ is currently being sampled with each individual pipe being recorded for the development of a computer-based simulation.
It is planned in 2008, to celebrate the 80th birthday of the Wurlitzer with a grand concert.

DESCRIPTION

The 3/15 Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ, Opus 1808 has three manuals and fifteen ranks of pipes with a total of 1,071 separate pipes. It is powered by a 7.5 horsepower electric pump and its largest pipes are 32 feet in height.

How the Organ Operates

Console

The organ console is the large keydesk at which the organist controls and plays the organ. Most commonly, it has two or three manuals (keyboards), although quite a few large installations had four manuals. A few had five manuals, and one even had six manuals! The manuals are surrounded by a semicircle of stop tabs. There is also a large pedal board (a keyboard played with the feet) and many other buttons and pedals that control the swell shutters, sound effects, and mechanics of the instrument.

Relay

The “brains” of the organ are in the relay. It takes electrical signals from the console, generated whenever keys are depressed or stops are changed, and directs the correct pipes and/or traps to instantly sound.

Blower

This is the large fan which provides the pressurized air which will blow through the pipes. It also provides air to operate the mechanical devices which “play” the pneumatically-operated instruments (traps). Pressurized air is also used to perform other mechanical tasks, such as the operation of the swell shutters and the registration pistons that automatically change many stops at the press of a button.

Windchest

This is a wooden reservoir that contains pressurized air from the blower. Valves in the windchest are opened and closed remotely by the relay to cause the correct pipes to sound when the organist depresses the keys.

Pipes

A set of pipes that produces the same distinctive sound from the lowest to highest note is known as a rank of pipes. Most ranks contain 61 or 73 pipes. Small theatre pipe organs could have as few as three or four ranks of pipes, and the largest instruments had over fifty ranks. In actual numbers of pipes, a small instrument might have 100-300 pipes, while the largest instruments contained ten times that number.
The highest sounding pipes are smaller than a pencil. The lowest bass pipes in large instruments are about 32 feet in length, and wide enough to allow a person to stand inside a pipe.

Traps and toy counter

Authentic percussion instruments such as xylophone, orchestra bells, etc., are located in the pipe chambers. These instruments are played from the keys of the organ and made to sound by way of pneumatic action. Separate beaters or hammers are located above each metal or wooden bar on the pitched percussion instruments. Snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, and other percussion instruments are activated in the same manner. Sound effects such as siren, automobile horn, and train whistle, are all sounded from the organ console.

Specifications of Model 260 Wurlitzer Pipe Organ

3 Manuals - 15 Ranks - 7 Tuned Percussions - 14 Traps - Curved Console

Trumpet	8’	61 pipes
Tuba Horn	16’	85 pipes
Diaphonic Diapason	32’	97 pipes
Tibia Clausa	16’	85 pipes
Clarinet	8’	61 pipes
Orchestral Oboe	8’	61 pipes
Kinura	8’	61 pipes
Saxophone	8’	61 pipes
String	8’	61 pipes
Viol d’Orchestre	8’	85 pipes
Viol Celeste	8’	73 pipes
Concert Flute	16’	97 pipes
Vox Humana	8’	61 pipes
Oboe Horn	8’	61 pipes
Quintadena	8’	61 pipes
Piano		85 notes
Marimba		49 notes
Cathedral Chimes		25 notes
Xylophone		37 notes
Glockenspiel		37 notes
Sleigh Bells		25 notes
Chrysoglott		49 notes

PEDAL
32’	Diaphone
16’	Ophicleide
16’	Diaphone
16’	Tibia Clausa
16’	Bourdon
8’	Tuba Horn
8’	Octave
8’	Tibia Clausa
8’	Clarinet
8’	Saxophone
8’	String
8’	Cello
8’	Flute
4’	Flute
16’	Piano
	Bass Drum
	Kettle Drum
	Snare Drum
	Crash Cymbal
	Cymbal
	Great to Pedal
	Solo to Pedal

Pedal Second Touch
32’	Diaphone
16’	Ophicleide - Pizzicato

1st & 2nd Touch Traps Switch
3 Combination Toe Pistons

ACCOMPANIMENT
16’	Contra Viol (TC)
16’	Bourdon
8’	Tuba Horn
8’	Diaphonic Diapason
8’	Tibia Clausa
8’	Clarinet
8’	Saxophone
8’	Viol d’Orchestre
8’	Viol Celeste
8’	String
8’	Oboe Horn
8’	Quintadena
8’	Flute
8’	Vox Humana
4’	Piccolo
4’	Viol
4’	Octave Celeste
4’	Flute
4’	Vox Humana
2 2/3	Twelfth
2’	Piccolo
8’	Piano
4’	Piano
	Mandolin
	Marimba (re-it)
	Harp
	Chrysoglott
	Snare Drum
	Tambourine
	Castanets
	Chinese Block
	Tom Tom

Accomp Second Touch
8’	Tuba Horn
8’	Tibia Clausa
	Cathedral Chimes
	Sleigh Bells
	Xylophone
	Triangle
	Solo to Accompaniment
	Solo to Accompaniment - Pizzicato

10 Double Touch Adjustable Combination Pistons

GREAT
16’	Ophicleide
16’	Diaphone
16’	Tibia Clausa
16’	Clarinet (TC)
16’	Saxophone (TC)
16’	Contra Viol (TC)
16’	Bourdon
8’	Trumpet
8’	Tuba Horn
8’	Diaphonic Diapason
8’	Tibia Clausa
8’	Clarinet
8’	Orchestral Oboe
8’	Kinura
8’	Saxophone
8’	Viol d’Orchestre
8’	Viol Celeste
8’	String
8’	Flute
8’	Vox Humana
4’	Clarion
4’	Piccolo
4’	Viol
4’	Octave Celeste
4’	Flute
2 2/3	Twelfth
2’	Fifteenth
2’	Piccolo
1 3/5	Tierce
16’	Piano
8’	Piano
4’	Piano
	Marimba (re-it)
	Harp
	Cathedral Chimes
	Xylophone
	Glockenspiel
	Orchestra Bells (re-it)
	Sleigh Bells
	Chrysoglott
	Solo to Great

Great Second Touch
16’	Ophicleide
8’	Tibia Clausa
	Octave
	Solo to Great
	Solo to Great - Pizzicato

10 Double Touch Adjustable Combination Pistons

SOLO
16’	Ophicleide
8’	Trumpet
8’	Tuba Horn
8’	Diaphonic Diapason
8’	Tibia Clausa
8’	Clarinet
8’	Orchestral Oboe
8’	Kinura
8’	Saxophone
8’	String
8’	Oboe Horn
8’	Quintadena
4’	Clarion
4’	Piccolo
	Cathedral Chimes
	Xylophone
	Glockenspiel
	Ochestral Bells (re-it)

10 Double Touch Adjustable Combination Pistons

TREMULANTS (3)
	Main
	Solo
	Vox Humana

GENERAL
	Two Expression Pedals with Indicating Keys
	One Balanced Crescendo Pedal
	Thunder Pedal (Diaphone) - Piano Pedal
	Thunder Pedal (Reed) - Piano Pedal
	One Double Touch Sforzando Pedal - Piano Pedal
	- 1st Touch, Full Stops (wind)
	- 2nd Touch, Everything
	One Double Touch Sforzando Pedal - Piano Pedal
	- 1st Touch, Snare Drum
	- 2nd Touch, Bass Drum and Cymbal

TOE PISTONS
	Auto Horn
	Steamboat Whistle
	Two Birds, One in each Expression Box
	Fire Gong
	Horse Hoofs

               

BOUNDARY OF LISTING

The listing includes the organ console and all associated pipes, musical instruments, electric pump and connecting piping and electrical wiring and relays.

 

VIDEO FILES (click to download)
Performed by John Atkinson

Away in a Manager (4MB)
Jingle Bells (2MB)