What is a Theatre Pipe Organ?
A Theatre Pipe Organ differs from a traditional church or classical organ in that its special sound effects and orchestral voices were designed specifically to accompany silent movies of the 1920’s. During the heyday of silent movies, most theatres of any size boasted a theatre pipe organ. The pipes were located in chambers high up in the front of the theatre, usually found on either side of the stage and covered with decorative screens. An immense blower produced the massive amounts of air required to cause the many pipes to “speak”, and it was this large quantity of moving air that made listening to the booming theatre pipe organ in a large cavernous theatre an experience unmatched by even the most sophisticated speaker systems of today.   Listen to a National Public Radio story featuring the theatre pipe organ November 25, 1999.   As movies changed to “talkies” in 1929, the organs soon became unnecessary. Many were lost to fire, flood, vandalism, and neglect. Just a very few
