Wurlitzer Theatre Organ Relays & Marimba

In this video are 3 original, still working, 1920's relays of the Fisher Theatre and Brooklyn Paramount Theatre Wurlitzer theatre organs. Also one in a home near Cleveland Ohio.

Luckily there are many more still working in theatre organs elsewhere too.

http://www.dtos.org/

http://www.nytos.org/liu.html

http://www.wrtos.org/

Jesusita en Chihuahua (cactus polka) and Lazzarella (as a samba) in this video are played during a practice session on the 4/34 Fisher Wurlitzer, Detroit, MI in 2009. These songs show some of the speed of 1920's and 1930's Wurlitzer relays. The original relays are very fast responding and can be fixed if they break. Modern computer based relays are more difficult to fix and the computers and operating systems can die too.

Neil Jensen's 3/35 hauptwerk virtual theatre organ is used to demonstrate pizzicato. I didn't have any simple recordings of pizz done on a real Wurlitzer available for this video. Virtual organs are great for trying things at home and sound really good too, but not as super as a real theatre organ.



.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Wurlitzer
• Organ
• Relay
• Marimba
• 1920's
• old
• technology
• electronic
• mechanial
• switching
• Fisher
• Theatre
• Brooklyn
• Paramount
• Pizzicato
• Hauptwerk
• Neil
• Jensen
• Korg
• nanoKey
• sophisticated
• marvel
• wires
• keyboard
• instrument
• fast
• switch
• robert
• hope-jones
• Jesusita
• en
• Chihuahua
• cactus
• polka
• Lazzarella

[pyewacketDE]

What is the name of the piece played in the beginning?

[kiwiplant]

@pyewacketDE The first tune is part of Jesusita en Chihuahua. One section was left out.

[lpguy12]

nice pictures, but would like to see video of the relays and switch stacks actually working.......

[kiwiplant]

I have some new close-up video of these things working. That might be in an additional video soon.

[maplewoodsp]

Most excellent video!! This proves my point that it is foolish to convert to solid state relays. The components in a solid state relay are likely to disappear from the market in a short time, and thus render them useless. This kind of relay can be repaired, adjusted, and fabricated as required. Not so for solid state modern stuff. You can't make solid state devices on a work bench.

[W4KSR]

Maplewoodsp: I couldn't have said that any better myself! Fascinatin that something 70 years old keeps working (with a little TLC every so often), outlasting the electronics of today. Wurlitzers were built to last.

[Organgrinder1010]

Setterboard on an organ of that size is a visiting organist's nightmare.

[MrFrancisH]

Fascinating, with good music. Thanks for posting.

[Wnoronz]

Many thatre organs have had their original relay stacks replaced with computerised control systems little more than the size of a small attache case or laptop computer. O.K. The organ might sound exactly the same, but there's nothing quite like the magic of original relays! They remind me of the inside of an old telephone exchange!

[Zylstra555]

The relays on our organ in Wenatchee are about half as many, but it is strange how they all look the same anyways.

Also, our setter board is located on the back of the console, I thought it was interesting that yours was inside the chambers.

[Marshall7302]

ok i know where the relay is... lol cuz i was fixing it today (DTOS) but where is that pizzicatto relay from and where are thoes marimbas from? oh nevermind ... im reading the side bar. lol

[bartonorgan]

Very nice, thanks for sharing.