Wurlitzer Organ Concert Sierra Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society Silent Movie Series

Bert Kuntz Farewell Concert, Sunday, June 22, 2008 at 2:00 p.m.

Towe Auto Museum
2200 Front Street
Sacramento, California
916-442-6802
$7/Adults, $6/Seniors, $3/Students K-12

Bert Kuntz is a popular Sacramento theatre organist and a member of Sierra Chapter, ATOS. He was a staff organist at Arden Pizza & Pipes and has played Sunday Pops Concerts at the Towe Auto Museum since 1994.

Bert has retired and will be moving away from California. In honor of his long service to the community, the Towe Auto Museum is proud to present Bert Kuntz in his final farewell concert.

All movies are at the Towe Auto Museum (2200 Front Street, Sacramento 95818)All movies begin at 8pm

Listen to Chris Elliott at the Towe

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History and performances of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ

Back in the days of the Stutz Bearcat, celluloid collars, bathtub gin and Calvin Coolidge, the movies had not yet learned to talk; music was the sole voice of film. For most moviegoers, the theatre pipe organ - a true one-man orchestra - provided accompaniment for the action up on the silver screen.

The organist sitting at the console was only part of the story. Hidden behind the walls were countless organ pipes, drums, bells, whistles and machinery-the thousands of parts that made the theatre pipe organ the most complex musical instrument ever devised.

When sound films arrived in 1927, the thrilling sound of the theatre organ was to fade from memory. Today, only handfuls survive. The American Theatre Organ Society has funded the restoration and installation of one such instrument at the Auto Museum in Sacramento, California.

As completely original organs are quite rare, this Wurlitzer was assembled with parts from many organs. The core of the project started with acquisition of the residence Wurlitzer installed in the home of famed Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille.

Members of the Sierra chapter worked over 5,000 man-hours locating additional components, building the stage and organ chambers, and painstakingly restoring the organ piece by piece. The result is very similar to a Wurlitzer organ that one could have found in a 1920's theatre of 1,000 to 2,000 seats.

Nearly all the components were manufactured at the Wurlitzer factory in North Tonawanda, New York. The major exception is the computerized relay, replacing a machine that took up an entire room. This modern addition enables Docents to demonstrate the of organ for Museum visitor!

THE WURLITZER PIPE Organ in the Towe Auto Museum contains over one thousand individual pipes, divided between two chambers on either side of the stage area. They range from pencil-sized to over sixteen feet in length.

According to a practice unique to theatre organs, the pipes are voiced to sound like instruments of the orchestra, including piccolos, tubas, violins, trumpets, oboes, clarinets, flutes, etc. There is even a set (or "rank") of pipes voiced to sound like a choir singing in the distance the "Vox Humana"

In addition to the organ pipes, there are actual orchestral percussion instruments; there is a xylophone, a marimba, a celesta, a glockenspiel, a set of cathedral chimes and a full-sized upright piano. These instruments are not synthesized reproduction organs, but the genuine article with individual hammers operated by high pressure air!

Just like an orchestra, there is a complete complement of "traps," like the snare drum, tom-torn, cymbals, triangle, tambourines, castanets and bass drum.

Lastly, there are silent movie sound effects such as train and boat whistles, sirens, bird calls and, appropriately, an auto horn.

Theatre organs are capable of being played very loudly. To control such great volume, the pipes are contained in near sound proof chambers. The chamber walls facing the listening area are constructed with several individually operating shutters. When most of the shutters are closed, sound is held in the chambers and volume is low. When the shutters are open, sound is released and the Wurlitzer roars forth like a brass band.

A huge amount of wind is required to operate this organ. A 10 hp centrifugal turbine blower is located in its own enclosure behind the Museum, putting out some 2,401 cubic feet of air pressure per minute.

Performances on the Mighty Wurlitzer In addition to daily Museum demonstrations, the Sierra Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society sponsors recitals as well as silent film presentations.

Concerts generally feature popular music from the "Golden Age" and often showcase the work of composers such as George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Richard Rogers. The music of Broadway and Hollywood are great favorites on the Wurlitzer, as are light classics, orchestral transcriptions and adaptations of contemporary music.

Silent films are a popular part of Museum programming as well. Several times each year, the movies of such stars as Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy, Greta Garbo, and Charlie Chaplin are screened with live accompaniment on the Wurlitzer. Every October, the 1925 silent classic "The Phantom of the Opera" starring Lon Chaney is presented to great acclaim. These film programs are ideal family fare.

Some of the world's most talented theatre organists and silent film accompanists travel to Sacramento to play the Wurlitzer, and we cordially invite you, your family and friends to attend these melody filled events.

The Towe Auto Museum is open daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Group tours are available by reservation. The Special Events area and the Wurlitzer are available for hire.ble for hire.

Want to join the American Theatre Organ Society? Please contact:

Terry Clifton, Membership Secretary
Sierra Chapter, ATOS
P.O. Box 2017
Fair Oaks, CA 95628
(916) 863-6344

www.SierraChapterATOS.org