YouTube - The Mighty Wurlitzer

"Perhaps the most famous instruments Wurlitzer built were its pipe organs (from 1914 until around 1940), which were installed in theatres, homes, churches, and other public places. "The Mighty Wurlitzer" theatre organ was designed, originally by Robert Hope-Jones, as a "one man orchestra" to accompany silent movies. In all, Wurlitzer built over 2,200 pipe organs (and indeed more theatre organs than the rest of the theatre organ manufacturers combined); the largest one originally built was the 4 keyboard / 58 rank (set of pipes) instrument at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Music Hall instrument is actually a concert instrument, capable of playing classical as well as non-classical repertoire."

And now for something completely different. Definitely music from a different era but the Wurlitzer pipe organ owes it's heritage to the church organ and although they put some extra toys on there, it is still essentially that - an organ. But what they can do with it is sometimes magical. Now, the electronic world has taken over and these mighty beasts are a rare artefact and although I love what can be done with electronics and sampling, there is nothing like the sound of a real pipe organ in a church or a ballroom.

Let's hope that there are enough people interested to keep them going. Or maybe you know someone who can make them?

The Portal of Healing.