


PhiliPamInCoventry Holbrooks All posts by this member | 1 of 126 Thu 21st Jul 2011 4:40pm Moderator, : Joined Apr 2010 Total posts:3895 We all miss aspects of our lives which are things of the past. You know how I miss steam on the railways, but we have to face the reality. It was too expensive to operate. The subject of cinemas brings almost a tear to me when I have stood watching a cinema organ being taken out to be scrapped. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
PhiliPamInCoventry Holbrooks All posts by this member Thread starter | 2 of 126 Fri 22nd Jul 2011 5:50am Moderator, : Joined Apr 2010 Total posts:3895 This link works by taking you to the selection page but I can't get it to work by just clicking on it. If you are able to watch & listen to the performance, please read some of the comments. I do not believe that any cinema organs remain in Coventry today, the nearest is preserved, near to the motor cycle museum close to Marston Green, where they do have concerts now & again. |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
InnisRoad Hessle All posts by this member | 3 of 126 Fri 22nd Jul 2011 8:40am : Joined Feb 2011 Total posts:101 The theatre organ console used to rise from the bowels of the thrust stage like the sword in the lake, accompanied by great cheers from the assembled matinee goers. I remember the one at the Empire, but my first matinees were at the Plaza. The great exponent of the day was Sandy McPherson, who played regularly on the radio in several guises, including "Chapel in the Valley" and could often be heard playing the BBC theatre organ, or the organ at Blackpool Tower. Regards Innis Road |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
Elaine Coventry All posts by this member | 4 of 126 Fri 22nd Jul 2011 12:00pm : Joined Feb 2011 Total posts:59 I know someone in Coventry who has bought and is restoring a cinema organ, I can't remember where from though. I can find out though and send him the link to this discussion. He may be able to add something to it. |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
PhiliPamInCoventry Holbrooks All posts by this member Thread starter | 5 of 126 Fri 22nd Jul 2011 3:44pm Moderator, : Joined Apr 2010 Total posts:3895 That would be lovely. Thank you. |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
TonyS | 6 of 126 Sun 24th Jul 2011 7:01pm |
PhiliPamInCoventry Holbrooks All posts by this member Thread starter | 7 of 126 Sun 24th Jul 2011 9:43pm Moderator, : Joined Apr 2010 Total posts:3895 That was Phil Kelsall. He has been resident organist at the Tower since the late seventies. My wife calls him Mr. Rubber Legs. You might, when you see his heel & toe action on the pedals. There are loads of clips of him playing on YouTube and if you listen with Hi-Fi or earphones, you are nearly there. Thank you for that, Tony. In the fifties, there were at least five cinemas in Coventry with instruments like that one. |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
Elaine Coventry All posts by this member | 8 of 126 Wed 27th Jul 2011 4:04pm : Joined Feb 2011 Total posts:59 On 22nd Jul 2011 12:00 pm, Elaine said:
I know someone in Coventry who has bought and is restoring a cinema organ, I can't remember where from though. I can find out though and send him the link to this discussion. He may be able to add something to it.
I am now at liberty to say that the ex-Savoy organ is being restored and installed at Warwick Road URC. If anyone would like more details of the person who is doing this, then I can pass on his email address by private message. |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
K Somewhere All posts by this member | 9 of 126 Thu 24th Nov 2011 4:57pm : Joined Nov 2011 Total posts:510 There's quite a difference, though, Philip, between a church organ and a cinema (theatre) organ - the former has full ranks of pipes, and the latter used shared ranks; the church organ had a better quality of sound as a result.
I own a Conn Theater 358, which although electronic, has a similar scheme to a pipe theatre organ - it has an oscillator for every note - but shares the electronic "ranks" just like a pipe organ, so reducing the amount of oscillators actually used. When it was new, about 35 years ago, you could buy three sets of small pipes for it, which stood on top, and were linked to the keyboard using solenoid valves.
I love playing church organs, too (though I haven't played much for the last 7 years, even the Conn) and it used to be easy to get permission. But nowadays, unless you're known to the vicar, permission is almost always denied. In the past I played the gorgeous Norman and Beard organ in the large parish church in Aylsham, Norfolk ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
PhiliPamInCoventry Holbrooks All posts by this member Thread starter | 10 of 126 Fri 9th Mar 2012 3:09pm Moderator, : Joined Apr 2010 Total posts:3895 Hi all ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
PhiliPamInCoventry Holbrooks All posts by this member Thread starter | 11 of 126 Fri 16th Mar 2012 11:32pm Moderator, : Joined Apr 2010 Total posts:3895 Hi all ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
Ben10 Burntwood All posts by this member | 12 of 126 Thu 5th Apr 2012 8:54pm : Joined Apr 2012 Total posts:2 Hi all, you may have read a post from Elaine regarding the ex-Savoy Wurlitzer organ. I am the co-owner of the organ now with a friend who lives in Coventry. We were wondering if anyone has any photographs of the organ or the cinema that we could see? It would be great to have some to accompany the organ as we have very little. Any stories of it too or even anyone out there who has once played the Wurlitzer . . . we would be very eager to hear from you.
Regards, Ben |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
PhiliPamInCoventry Holbrooks All posts by this member Thread starter | 13 of 126 Fri 6th Apr 2012 8:56am Moderator, : Joined Apr 2010 Total posts:3895 Hi all ![]() ![]() |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
Ben10 Burntwood All posts by this member | 14 of 126 Fri 6th Apr 2012 11:34am : Joined Apr 2012 Total posts:2 Philip, It's in Coventry safe and sound and is currently under restoration and will installed back into a Coventry location. Do you know of any photos anyone has? |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) | |
TonyS Coventry All posts by this member | 15 of 126 Fri 6th Apr 2012 12:21pm : Joined Jan 2011 Total posts:1238 I guess thats "I'm not telling you" then! ![]() |
Sport, Music and Leisure - Organs (cinema, theatre, church, etc) |
Website & counter by Rob Orland © 2022
Load time: 56ms