Mysteryshows.com

[Mike Hobart]

A theatre organ (also known as a cinema organ) is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra. New designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself.

Theatre organs took the place of the orchestra when installed in a movie theatre during the heyday of silent films. Most theatre organs were modelled after the style originally devised by Robert Hope-Jones, which he called a "unit orchestra".

Such instruments were typically built to provide the greatest possible variety of timbres with the fewest possible pipes, and often had pianos and other percussion instruments built in, as well as a variety of sound effects such as a siren.

Theatre organs are usually identified by their distinctive horseshoe-shaped consoles, which are frequently painted white with gold trim. An original example is the 3/13 Barton from Ann Arbor's historic Michigan Theatre. The organ was installed in 1927 and is currently played daily before most film screenings. There were over 7,000 such organs installed in American theatres from 1915 to 1933, but fewer than 40 original instruments remain in their original theatres. Though there are few original instruments in their original theatres, hundreds of theatre pipe organs are installed in public venues throughout the world, while hundreds more exist in private residences.

--from Wikipedia

An organ enthusiast runs a weekly radio show on a local station that plays all sorts of music on various organs - Wurlitzers, Comptons, Hammond, Technix....

Click here to see a selection of these shows:

http://www.mediafire.com/?42bd95a5xqq3m
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[Mike Hobart]

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This week's show included "Great Balls of Fire" played on the organ.

I wonder what Jerry Lee Lewis would have made of it?

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2g3qbd92jq07zfp
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[Mike Hobart]

Lots more organ music posted at the first link.

The Wurlitzer, the Hammond, even the Compton !
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[Mike Hobart]

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Posted this week's show at the usual link
http://www.mediafire.com/?42bd95a5xqq3m
Lots of interesting music.

Edited out most of the commercials and also the comedy spot from Hal Roach, which just gets too repetitive after a couple of years!
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[Mike Hobart]

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Have started a new folder for these recent episodes, since the old folder had become so large it was unwieldy.

http://www.mediafire.com/?aiq3y7rxd53r1

Free download of show tunes, light classical and oldies, all played on the Wurlitzer, Hammond, etc.
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[Gerry22]

Is the program THEATRE ORGAN SHOWCASE available to stream on line as I live in the UK . Thanks for the contributions . I listen a lot to the Organist Entertains on BBC Radio 2
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[Mike Hobart]

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Well, yes, last time I looked they streamed the show on-line but not at a very high rate.

http://www.hobartfm.org.au/

You can try picking it up over the Net (2 pm each Friday in the Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart time zone) but it's probably easier for me to get it off the radio since I live only a few miles from the transmitters.
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