The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-07-28

The Rise Of IL Organ.

Washineton, q, c., July 3s.-1Ael
pipe orsasl, which has long existed
to I'LL IL breathing spells In we'd
aings, funerals, and sermons. has
1t last ceme into real popularity.
No longer - It associated only with
dreary Bach fugues, and solemn &C
compartments to the chatter Of the
collection plate. The king Of In
struments has. after . thousand odd
years Of stately existence. taken ON
. liveiier air, for all the world
like . gray haired bachelor scien-
fist who suddenly learns to htrt:
The movies are, AZ everybody
knows, responsible for the organs
new mood. What 10 not 10 genef-
ally known ID that . remarkable
interest in organ study is being
manifested, and schools which teach
organ playing expressly for the
theatre have sprung into existence.
More pipe organs are being Quilt,
too, though the cost Of ptpes II
about Is per cent higher than be-
fore the big organ boom. The own
ers of moving picture palaces do
not seem to Aind this. Five or SIX
thousand dollars for an electric ac-
ton. eighty stop, guaranteed-not-to-
break down-often organ il . good
investment. il only for the fact that
1t gives the theatre publicity agent
something new to write about.
Thus, when the theatre owner
decides to install the biggest and
most expensive organ in America
or in the state, or town-there Is
material for q hot news item. When
the instrument is set up it is good
for more snappy description and
instructive statistics. Then the
theatre engages q genius who wears
IL shoe and can hit more pedals
at time than any other organist
in the country. And so it goes,
The theatre gets publicity, the pa
irons get the music, and the organ
gets out of repair with q frequency
that would discourage anyone but
q move magnate.
Require Constant Repairs.
Church organs are usually visited
once a month by q repair man, te
keep them in playing order, but
the theatre instrument has to be
looked over once q week, and tbs
repairer Is called in from one te
three times q week besides to take
care Of unexpected casualties. This
is all q part of the upkeep Of the
i theatre, and one Of the numerous
factors which help to boost thu
price of the movie ticket.
The theatre organ does not suffel
from being in a damp and unheat
ed hall six days in the week, as {
church organ So often does, but i
is worked hard, so that its part
wear out faster. Withal, its life
time at hard labor is estimated q
Is years. BY that time, the theatre
magnates figure, the vogue Of tn,
organ may give place to a lean
ing toward the accordion or tn
l NyAVkA0ASs
And speaking of xylophones. tn,
theatre organ has special attach
ments which the conservative
eiarch instrument never dreame;
OF. The organ is an imitator.
lengthy pipe of wood gives an en-
tirely different character ct ton,
from similar pipe Of tin or lead
and a short thick pipe gives a still
different variation. so that from tn
pipes the >rgan gets not only it
different notes but also the differen
tones, resembling the oboe, fl,.te
violin, and other Instruments. {
all the pieces in an orchestra, tn
violin !as been the INST Difficult
to rcplcduce on an organ, and it i
oue of the more recent tones repre-
ssntcd pm the stops. The xylophon
stop, OF which we started to speak
is Lew and strictly theatrical at
tachm. 1t. as arr, stops giving tn
effect of drums, bells and othe
accessories of an orchestra. Wit
all these devices, the movie orgal
is an orchestra in itself, and som
instruments are provided for 1extr
emergencies by stops Representing
wind, rain and thunder.
To musicians the interesGn
thing about the organs plunge int
secular affairs is the revolution il
the theory of organ music. It ha
always been held that the orgal
could be played only in legato, flow
ing style. Hymns, marches, sym