![‘Lady’ Compton 3/12 Haarlem [foto: Jan Schippers]](images/Patricktheaterorgan3.jpg)        |
These instruments were built to imitate the theatre orchestras of the day and to accompany silent films. When talking pictures were introduced, many theatres disposed of their instruments, but in the UK the theatre organ took on a new role as the chief entertainment between shows, accompanying sing-alongs and playing orchestral selections.
As a classically-trained musician playing repertoire from practically the beginnings of Western music up to the present day, I feel that the theatre organ enables me to fill a gap with music that I would not otherwise play on the piano or the church organ. After searching on the internet I discovered that there had been a theatre organ just down the road from where I was living that I knew nothing about, so I summoned up some courage and went along to a concert.
To cut a long story short, I soon found myself trying to play — it isn’t at all easy! The console of a theatre resembles a classical church organ (keyboards, pedalboard, preset pistons etc.) but that is where the similarity ends. Because of the way it is built the stops do not combine at all in the way that you would expect and this can be very frustrating at first. On the other hand, the sounds that you can make are simply magical! Another surprising aspect is the co-ordination. As a classical organist, quite used to playing fugues, trio sonatas and other complicated polyphonic music, I found myself floundering on the theatre organ and had to learn from scratch how to co-ordinate my limbs!!
On a classical organ, each limb is on an equal footing — hands and feet are all capable of playing a melody. On the theatre organ, each limb has a specific function: the left foot plays the bass line; the right foot operates the expression pedals (the whole instrument is enclosed in a swell box); the left hand provides the accompaniment and counter- melody and the right hand plays the melodic line using a variety of different techniques. In addition to this, one or more of the keyboards and pedalboard are fitted with what is called ‘second touch’ where you can play on a different registration by pressing the keys down more — useful for bringing out a counter-melody or making accents.
There is also very little published music for the theatre organ. Organists make their own arrangements and given my almost complete lack of musical imagination, this is yet another exciting new challenge! This means that no organist plays a piece in the same way and will often vary the interpretation with each performance. For a classical musician trained to reproduce a piece of music in a very specific way, I find this fascinating, refreshing and incredibly frustrating at the same time!!
 “The Swan” — Saint-Saëns This week a well-known piece from Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. 
Stops that feature particularly in this arrangement are the lovely Chrysoglott; the Vox Humana (one of the the most important stops in the theatre organ; and the Tuba Horn with its rich, fruity sound. |
Have a look at the inside of a theatre organ chamber! This is the 2/7 Standaart ‘Tivoli’ organ that is now installed in the canteen of the “Electroplast” factory in Dordrecht. It sounds quite noisy in the chamber, because a theatre organ runs on high pressure.
If you are interested in finding out more about theatre organs in the Netherlands, have a look at www.theaterorgel.nl (web portal in Dutch), or if you prefer English, have a look here: www.nederlandseorgelfederatie.nl.
More links to theatre organ websites are on the Links page.