PLAYS 800 INSTRUMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 229, 27 September 1930, Page 8 (Supplement)

PLAYS 800 INSTRUMENTS.

MODERN JAZZ ORGAN

SOMETHING BIG IN NOISES,

In the classic Roman days, when 'the country and town folk wantol to enjoy themselves at a dance, such as was commonly popular in thoso ancient times, the young couples would depart forthwith to the scene of a frolic presided over by a musical organisation equivalent to our modern jazz band. The "hot" music, instead of coming from a wailing saxophone, however, emanated from a tibia plana, carved from the shin-bono of a wild ass. And the folk of Roman days, it is said, wore out their sandals to f 'he rhythm of its weird, wailing tone. The tibia plana is ono of the unusual pipes and etfects installed among the resources of the giant console ' organ found in an American theatre. The new pipe was first tried out with only moderate success in the organ of a theatre in Chicago and later in Detroit. It was perfected, however, and provides an important effect in symphonic numbers of Oriental mood, as well as certain types of jazz that are playable on the pipe organ. This is but ono of a number of novel features, however, possessed by this organ, which enables one organist, when he gets his hands and feet upon the keys and pedals, to obtain an effect equivalent to a 200-piece symphony orchestra by making the most of the musical possibilities of this marvellous instrument. It has one of the few fivemanual consoles in the world, provided with five double touch manuals, which permits the phenomenal resources, that include nearly every known musical instrument, both ancient and modern. Each of the five manuals of keys has a double touch that multiplies its sound possibilities. Through its intricate mechanism, which covers both walls of the theatre, nearly 800 instruments can be called into play. Wurlitzer, the organ builder, considers this instrument his masterpiece. Henry Murtagh, one of the great pipe organ virtuosos, who supervised the installation of this great music machine, believes that organ building has reached such a state of mechanical perfection that most literature written for the organ is commonplace compared to the possibilities of the majestic symphonies hitherto regarded as beyond the scope of the pipe organ. Its next improvement will have to be the contributions of symphony-composers, who will compose exclusively for thfe organ, he says.