Sunday, April 6 sees a special event at Rye Theatre to mark the 100th anniversary of the Rye Wurlitzer. Rye News Press Club reporter Ethan has been looking into the history of this incredible instrument.
As you see the Wurlitzer rise out of the stage in Rye Theatre, it’s clear it is a beautiful instrument, designed to be a one-person orchestra. It has an amazing history and we are very proud to have a Rye Wurlitzer academy.
So what is a Wurlitzer Theatre Organ and why is there one in Rye?
The American Wurlitzer company manufactured cinema organs to a revolutionary design created by Englishman Robert Hope-Jones. They were designed to allow one person to replicate the sound and emotion of an orchestra, so just one person could accompany silent films in the 1920s. They combine a mixture of sounds from hundreds of pipes, real percussion instruments including chimes, glockenspiel and drums, all played from the organ console.
There is no special music written for the theatre organ. They are very versatile instruments and can play music in more or less any style, with music from the big musicals, film themes and from the Great American Songbook Era of 1920 to 1940 being amongst the best suited.
The Rye Wurlitzer is the second oldest in the UK and this year celebrates its centenary with a very special variety show. This will copy the style of its opening performance at the Palace Cinema, Tottenham, London, on April 6 1925. It moved to Rye in August 1957, once the cinema no longer used it.
Wurlitzer organs were at the cutting edge in their use of technology with the console sending out hundreds of electrical impulses to a relay, rather like an old-fashioned telephone exchange, which then activates electro-magnets under each pipe or effect, to
allow wind to pass up them and make them sound.
Playing the organ requires great coordination as the player has to use both hands and feet at the same time, each playing different rhythms and notes. That said, when well taught, these skills can be quickly learnt.
You can read more about the Rye Wurlitzer history here and Rye News will have a full report on the anniversary concert next week.
The Press Club is a joint project between Rye News and Rye College which sees students reporting on life at school and beyond.
Image Credits: Richard Moore .
Fantastic memory of a time when music and film combined to change our dreary lives and gave us all, aspirations.