The 4/26 Wurlitzer Theatre Organ

A tour of the mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ that was installed in the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre in 1928 which is still in original condition. The building and organ is now owned by LIU Brooklyn and is maintained by the New York Theatre Organ Society. To find more information about us and the other organs our chapter takes care of go to our web site at, www.nytos.org

[@MrMartmatsil]

shawn you are so right the more we know about something,the better,the real power is knowledge,and the organ is the king of instruments.

[@oldbear52]

Excellent tour of one of the finest WurliTzer Theatre Organs ever built! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the intallations being featured in the future videos... Thank you for taking the time to share this production!

[@RoelTyros]

Great video and very good to see that there are still volunteers who take care of those beautiful instruments.

[@jackraves7363]

thank you guys, keep this beautiful instrument singing 👍 🎹 best wishes from the Netherlands 🇳🇱

[@oldgeek100]

Great tour and explanation. Thanks so much for posting this video.

[@tracer740]

What a magnificent work of art!

[@markbender49]

What a treat to have the opportunity of seeing the very heart of The Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. Happy to know that the theatre is currently in the process of being returned to its former grandeur.

[@koasterkav2758]

I'm a band organ enthuisast and I also love the old theatre organs. Just ran into this video. Terrific! I did not know the old Paramount Theatre there is still around, and the big Wurlitzer is in tact! The Radio City Music Hall Wurlitzer is a gem too!

[@BigLarry1950]

This is certainly a learning experience for me. Thank you for keeping this piece of history operating in it's original state. I hope generations in the future will appreciate the work you are doing.

[@BenjaminEsposti]

+Larry Fick Yes, I'm 18 and I think organs are quite awesome! :D

[@WarrenPostma]

It makes me so happy that you guys have kept this amazing instrument intact and working and playable!

[@lordidino5638]

Very informative. Enjoyed the tour and inforrmation on what it takes to maintain this King of Instruments. Thanks for posing. Lorraine

[@paullindsay1622]

I love that the Long Island University has saved this magnificent and lavish movie palace and the beast that resides their is definitely happy too.

[@davef.2811]

Very nice! Keep her going, guys.

[@dannychin3208]

wow what a great organ, it is such a pity that some of them were already torn down, people has to appreciate these instruments since it has been part of the history of music. KUDOS!

[@williamdoremus5151]

I once played on this magnificent instrument as a member of ATOS. What a great thrill! I'l always remember it. Bill

[@steverabb]

Incredibly amazing!! Very informative tour and explanation of the workings of this magnificent instrument. Thanks, guys!!

[@JakeCKrug]

Thank you for this video! It's amazing to see this organ in such pristine shape. It's not only a work of art, it's a feat of human engineering. Awesome!

[@flyurway]

Really nice job! Great job of explaining the workings and complexities of these awesome old instruments. Sometimes I refer to them as "machines" as that is what they basically are, and very complex ones at that, just doesn't sound as nice! Often, people hear the term "theater organ" and think "ugh...big deal!" but when you put them into a different context and they start to think about it you can sometimes pique their interest more. I'd love to see these behemoths promoted more.

[@kingjames8283]

Love that incredible instrument and look forward to seeing the other video's of organ instruments in your chapter.

[@Tmanaz480]

Great tour, especially for people just discovering theatre organs on KZbin. Many folks only see the console and don't realize how the sounds are made.

[@Organsk8er]

Very, very nice video! This organ has always been on my "bucket list"!

[@wmcoale]

Thanks for posting this wonderful video!!! Looking forward to future posts!

[@TurtleFL]

I came here today searching for any recordings of Jimmy Paulin that might have made it online. A live show featuring this organ at the LIU with him playing was taped many years ago. There was no one who could draw more or deeper emotions out of an organ than he could. Other players were certainly virtuosos or could lay on schmaltz, but with Paulin, you felt real love come from the instrument.

[@jltbb62]

Thank you for all the work you for all the hard work you do. My dad had built one in our house when i was growing up and the dtos got to play then detirot fox loved working on them and playing on it . Please keep up the good work and GOD be with you and the good people that work with you all always and thx.

[@keithsgulbransen8397]

Fantastic instrument, many thanks. Regards Keith

[@Borriaudio]

Thank You for posting such an informative video, I love the sound of these organs and it is nice to have more of an understanding of the king of instruments.

[@PATOSWurlitzer]

Excellent presentation. Thanks.

[@mrbigarms]

Wonderful! really pleased to see this incredible instrument in safe hands.

[@zfrug]

Thanks for taking care

[@reveal102]

I love this video. I am not a musician, but I consider myself a fan of musicians and music. I am also a low-voltage technician (

[@paleodan]

What a great educational tour! Really useful information. Love that this organ surrounds the LIU gym. So strange.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Wow, truly amazing. Not only the organ (which is incredible) but the theater too. I can just imagine all the well dressed patrons coming to see the show. I think it kind of sucks that it's where all the sweaty jocks hang out. Couldn't they give it to the theater department? Change it back to a theater? It would be beautiful.

[@TurtleFL]

I've heard this organ in person.... it is one of the best I've heard

[@tarstarkusz]

Who is paying for the upkeep of this stupidly complicated machine?

[@TurtleFL]

@@tarstarkusz Donations to the ATOS and the local chapters, and work done by volunteers keep these magnificent instruments alive. It's not stupidly complicated, it's only as complex as it needs to be to do its job. A Wurlitzer unit orchestra, in fact, is a tremendous simplification of classical organs adapted for popular music and originally for silent movie scoring. All of the manuals and the pedals draw from the same collection of voices, or ranks, at various pitches available through stops on the console. In contrast, each manual and the pedals of a classical organ draw only on one chamber of ranks, or "division" apiece, and each stop draws on a rank (or a set of ranks in the case of mixtures) and the only way to get other divisions to sound on a given manual is through couplers.

[@TurtleFL]

Some people think this is a "behemoth" as pipe organs go, but it's really only because of unification that the console features a forest of almost uncountable stops and controls. 26 ranks is fairly moderate sized for pipe organs these days, and if it were drawn from like a classical organ, four manuals would probably be one or two too many for it. To duplicate that volume and quantity of stops on a classical organ would probably require upwards of 150 or 200 ranks of pipes.

[@karlrovey]

@@TurtleFL The switching systems and mechanisms are a bit more complicated than the modern equivalent that do the same thing.

[@TurtleFL]

@@karlrovey I think what you're talking about is the difference between an electropneumatic transmission and a digital transmission. I don't think the digital is any simpler, it's probably more sophisticated, but it does take up far less room in the console and needs a lot less diameter of cabling.

[@worldlinerai]

Nice video. Even though this organ was one of Wurlitzer's standard spec models (Publix 4 with 26 ranks), this was the only one ever made (Wurlitzer built 5 of the larger 36 rank Fox Special). The Publix 4 is a good alternative to the Fox Specials, which cost $95,000 in the 1920s to install. NY also had two Fox Specials installed (a third one was planned, but got cancelled).

[@bobgomez9481]

This video wore out my multi-meter. In my tool box. In my truck.

[@SirLoinOfsteak85]

That was amazingly interesting! Thanks for this.

[@joanerhard454]

very historical, will. Be cherished , I am sure that it should be taken care of.

[@mundrubjet]

Oh my God!!! I am so in love with this, first time I have ever seen this. If Wilhelm Kempf were to play Beethovens' Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement on this colossal behemoth, I would cover myself with the ceremonial sheet and call my life a success... Wow!!! Thank you for this wonder....

[@mundrubjet]

Holy freaging shate!!! If my piano in my house is me......this is God!!! Humbling...Really. I stood on the battlefields of Iraq in OIF5 and OIF6. This is my reward. Thank you for this. Sarge...US Army Retired, Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Division...I love this...

[@straubie842]

I am happy to report that another of the original Wurlitzer theater organs is at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center in Wenatchee, Washington. It was moved from Wenatchee's Liberty Theater in 1989 and has been maintained by a team of volunteers (of which I am one) since. Originally a 2/7 instrument, three ranks were added soon after it was moved. Much of Wurlitzer's original cloth-insulated wiring is still in place. A player piano mechanism was also added. it allows the organ to be demonstrated by museum staff members with the push of a button. It works fine and is demonstrated frequently. It will celebrate its 100th anniversary in December of 2019.

[@joeamato5374]

Things should start happening soon at the old Brooklyn Paramount. New construction should begin on November 1st of this year to turn the gym back into a sort of theatre. I've been told by the construction supervisor that if they do start on time, they should be finished around August of 2019. Meanwhile, we will still be working with the organ keeping it ready for the opening.

[@Tailss1]

That's great, those hard floors must hinder the acoustics and make it hard to play to the room. I would think the manufacturer designed and built/tuned the organ originally to work in the room when it had lots of soft fabrics like carpet, curtains and seats. You should get to hear the organ sound as it did when it was a theater if they indeed renovate properly with the acoustics of the room in mind. I'd be interested to hear it when the renos are done.

[@danielmurphy4415]

Interesting; I wonder how the organ is now, considering the theatre's renovation has halted and who knows when that will open again to the public. I can only imagine what kind of dust and other sediments are piling up on the organ as it sits without any work done; indeed, a restoration is needed when access is granted. Any updates Mr. Amato?

[@WarrenPostma]

This is so great and bonkers.

[@TheMysticalOrgan]

There was another Publix 4: Boston Metropolitan Theatre. Alas, it was removed and dispersed. The console went to Organ Grinder Pizza, Portland, OR but is now in Shanklin Music Hall, Groton MA, playing a composite organ. The Foxes: San Francisco (now at El Capitan, Hollywood), Brooklyn (console at Wurlitzer Manor, Gig Harbor, WA, rest dispersed), NYC Paramount (now in Century 2, Wichita, KS) and the originals in Detroit and St Louis. One was ordered for Newark, NJ but the theatre was never built.

[@angelsone-five7912]

Great video. Long may this marvellous organ continue to do that which it does now, a gem.

[@theodorebiele5201]

Urbi et Urbis .

[@angelsone-five7912]

@@theodorebiele5201 I couldn`t agree more. (lol)

[@TheMysticalOrgan]

Radio City was, at the time of the concert Jack Moelmann organised, in a dire state. It was ordered from Kimball to a design similar to that of the Atlantic City Ballroom's famous 4/55 organ, but Kimball got out of theatre organs as many clients defaulted on payments: they repossessed many organs and, unable to sell them, scrapped them. Wurlitzer inherited the RCMH job but used standard Wurli scales & pressures, insufficient to get the organ out of the nightmarishly small chamber openings.

[@richardperth2002]

wow this has been mind opening machine its very complex

[@fliszt11]

splendid video

[@Tailss1]

Brilliant!

[@wurlitzer240]

re comments from the mystical organ.....I have the solo 15" Tibia clausa from the Boston Met theatre it forms part of my wurlitzer 3-14 installed in my residence here in worcester, england. I bought this after the organ grinder was split up around eight years back, also the solo scale tibia basses which are from the colesium seattle I believe.

[@reveal102]

It would be amazing if you donated all that to a museum to be preserved instead of hidden away in a private collection.

[@dusterdude238]

Did the organ use relay logic to achieve the programming aspect ? this Video was very interesting to me because I love music and to work with mechanical, electronics devices. and also computers. have an interest in computing systems Early to present. this theater is Amazing!

[@joeamato5374]

Don't worry Craig, We still have the Howard seat. When the video was shot, we were getting ready for a concert and the artist requested the bench.

[@trapezemusic]

Great tour of this remarkable instrument. Very pleased that you publicly thanked all members of your volunteer crew. I wish you remain active for many years. Also - With the fantastic news that the remains of the former Brooklyn Paramount Theater are to be resurrected as a performance venue, I hope that the operators will cooperate with the NYTOS and keep this organ alive and well and available for your public concerts.

[@lvchoralman]

Nice mini-documentary on this awesome instrument. Thanks for posting.

[@JonasClark]

And to think Wurlitzer turned out hundreds of these electro-mechanical-pneumatic computers. This was one of their larger models, admittedly... If you want to see one in a public venue with most of its mechanics on display, try Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, Arizona. It's not original per se, it's put together from parts added to an original instrument, but it's 78+ sets of pipes versus this organ's 26.

[@craigbrowning9448]

I noticed that the Howard seat got replaced by a standard bench on the last two numbers.

[@Tmanaz480]

Imagine if Madison Square Garden had done this and integrated plasterwork from the old Penn Station.

[@iamrepete]

-Closed due to construction until further notice-when,if ever, will it be open?

[@rr7firefly]

Fantastic tour of the organ by components. It's a real gem. Q: what gives a Wurlitzer organ its distinct sound? It sounds very different from typical church organs.

[@steamrocks]

The theater organ and the classic or 'church' organ sound different because there are far different sets of pipes or 'ranks' used in each of them. The voicing of these sets of pipes is very different. For starters, the pipes that are the 'foundation' or tonal basis for each of the instruments are very different. In a church organ, the most basic or foundation rank (the basis of the overall sound) is a rank called the Diapason. This has a strong, round, bold sound, typical of what you hear in churches. These are round, metal pipes, the kind you often see displayed in organ cases. The foundation rank or basis of sound for the theater organ is called the Tibia Clausa. These are rectangular, wooden pipes with a stopper at the top. They have a 'hooty' type of sound when played alone. Add to this that the Tibia and most all of the other ranks in a theater organ are usually played with a vibrato or tremulant applied to them. The device produces a regular interruption in the wind supply creating both pitch and amplitude modulation similar to an orchestral player or vocalist. Church organs rarely use the tremulant and those applied to church pipes produce a far less pronounced vibrato than that of the theater organ.Both theater and church organs have String stops, but those in the theater organs are sharper sounding and 'cut' more when blended with other voices. Strings play a far greater part in the ensemble of a theater organ than in church organs. Strings, too, receive heavy vibrato treatment.Another voice found in both church and theater organs, but of far greater importance in the theater organ, is the stop that allegedly imitates the human voice, called Vox Humana. Both Tibias and Vox Humanas are prominent voices in theater organs, and the larger theater organs have multiple sets, sometimes three or four of each. Vox Humanas and Tibias blend together to produce some of the more typical ballad sounds heard in theater organs.The reed and brass stops of the theater organ are generally more bold and powerful than their church organ counterparts. The Trumpet stops manufactured by some companies, notably WurliTzer, were actually made of brass. The most powerful brass stop, the English Posthorn, heard at the end of this video at the close of the William Tell Overture, it the most powerful and piercing organ stop made.One other interesting technical note: There is a great difference in the wind pressures between church and theater organs. A typical theater organ can run on 3-5 times the wind pressure as that of a church organ, so that each rank or set of pipes is capable of being much louder. Since there are typically fewer pipes in a theater organ than a church organ designed to fill the same space, each theater pipe has more work to do.

[@rr7firefly]

I don't think I can thank you enough for that "dissertation" -- the most thorough answer I have ever seen on KZbin on any subject. You have answered my question many times over and I am thrilled to have such an explanation. Your answer is not only extensive in its details but also notable for its readability. Thank you in spades!

[@MyDiesel101]

A Truly Wonderful Story! The Organ sounds fantastic. Tom gave a wonderful tour. Thank You!

[@joeamato5374]

Just a note to let everyone know that I will post a video on each of the organs that The New York Theatre Organ Society takes care of. The project will take many months to do. Thanks for watching.

[@20Rocolo]

Nice to hear one from across the pond, brilliant, how did they fit all that gear

[@richardstoc]

Really would like to hear more recordings from this organ from classical, present day to classic theater music are any available?

[@joeamato5374]

We held a concert last Sunday. The organ will not be heard by the public for about two years due to construction to bring the place back into a concert venue. We will be working on the instrument during this time.

[@joeamato5374]

The organ has not been used for basketball games since the university built a new gym no campus and the games are played there.

[@Tracygriffith-dz2ys]

Is it still there

[@stevemykowski8740]

How does an organ with only 26 ranks have 267 stops? I notice this disproportion with most theatre organs. I assume there are couplers, but that cannot account for all of the discrepancies.

[@Tmanaz480]

Not just couplers, but a feature called "unification". I'm not an expert, but you can Google it.

[@karlrovey]

Not only that, but the percussion and sound effects don't count toward the ranks of the organ.

[@danshasky7057]

Unlike church organs, Theater organ ranks are larger and play on all manuals and pedals.

[@craigbrown7929]

Most ranks have more then 61 pipes. This means they can play at multiple pitches on some or all manuals and pedal. EXAMPLE- the solo tibia probably has 97 pipes, starts at 16’ C (same as low C on the piano) and would be playable at 16 and 8’ on the pedal, 8 and 4’ on the accomp, 16, 8, 4, 2 2/3 and 2’ on the great, 16, 8, and 4’ on the bombarde, 16, 8, 4 and 2’ on the solo, as well as accomp 2nd touch. That alone would be 17 stops, just from ONE rank of pipes. Same goes for the concert flute (also 97 pipes), most string ranks and some chorus reeds like the tuba’s. As you can see the stop count can go up very quickly.

[@unclelouie3828]

GREAT VIDEO.

[@latinkeys1]

Very interesting. Thanks

[@ge200099]

This organ has more oboe pipes than there are oboeists who graduated from university

[@craigbrown7929]

There are two oboe ranks, the oboe horn and orchestral oboe. Each rank has 61 pipes, each pipe plays only one note.

[@martineyles]

Has the organ been used to accompany basketball games?

[@bobgomez9481]

They REALLY trust the wire ID on both ends. Because you ain't tracking a broken wire at 10:42...

[@britainluver431]

Why can't all gyms look like that?

[@joeamato5374]

If you can get to the LIU Brooklyn campus, On May 18, 2014, Mr. Richard Hills will be in concert on this organ. Mr. Hills is from England and is one of the best theatre organists in the world. Further information can be found at www.nytos.org Also you can see some of Mr. Hills videos here on You Tube.

[@joelhhall]

fantastic

[@JonasClark]

Excellent video of a very special Wurlitzer. What IS the deal with Radio City, anyway? I hear it's working, I hear it isn't, I hear it got restored, I hear it sounds terrible, but I don't hear anything with much authority behind it.

[@MANTLEBERG]

Show us the film dept please..

[@bobgomez9481]

You can tell this guy really hates the fact this place is a gym now.

[@phuongweary5433]

Yes agree 100 percent

[@BaquePhotography]

They butchered that theater.

[@tilozoru1255]

Such beautiful machines but such lame music played on them, why have it???