The Theatre OrganThe Theatre OrganSorry, I cheated a bit there. I really do listen to a wide variety of music, including especially folk and classical. But a major love is the musical style of the silent film era, especially as represented by the theatre pipe organ.
This is an unfamiliar instrument and an unfamiliar era to many folks today, so I am taking advantage of this opportunity to introduce you. Silent films were not really "silent," of course. They were meant to be viewed with the accompaniment of music and sound effects appropriate to the action on the screen. The largest theatres in big cities had live orchestras to perform original scores, but smaller venues had to settle for less, perhaps just a piano, sometimes not even a live performer but just a player with paper rolls.
We don't know what theatre proprietor first hit on the idea of using a pipe organ to substitute for the orchestra, but it was a brilliant notion that caught on rapidly. As the film and the theatre evolved from 1915 to 1928, so did the pipe organ, from one essentially designed for use in a church to a magnificent instrument capable of theatrical effects that could move audiences to fear and trembling or tears of sympathy.
The introduction of sound film technology brought an eclipse that nearly rendered these giant organs extinct. Fortunately, a few survived and were still ready for the revival of interest that began in the 1950s. Today most large cities and many smaller areas have at least one restored theatre with a real Wurlitzer, or Barton, or Kimball organ that is played at least occasionally. If you haven't experienced the power of this kind of music, I urge you to find an opportunity and do so, preferably along with a period film.
Here are some links you can follow to learn more about the theatre pipe organ as it once was and as it survives today. (This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a few starting points.)
This poses a problem. There aren't many real instruments left in working order, and most of those are rightly cherished and protected from beginners and amateurs. Fortunately, there are plenty of pianos in the world, and one can get started by learning the basics that way.
When the need for pedals and multiple keyboards arises, and it will, then an electronic instrument may prove an adequate tool for practice. These don't sound exactly like the real thing, but some are getting quite good. And they have the advantage that they fit into your living room, which a Mighty Wurlitzer isn't likely to do unless your name is Rockefeller.
My own surrogate is pictured below. The Wurlitzer Company was one of the earliest and largest makers of genuine theatre pipe organs, and did build electronic home organs well into the 1970s. This model 950 is a solid state analog instrument, and I've equipped it with external Leslie tone cabinets that enhance the sound significantly. Preset and reversible pistons allow the performer to emulate many effects that once required four full manuals or keyboards, though it takes a bit more dexterity to make the necessary registration changes.
How does it sound? Well, it's good enough for jazz, and Broadway show tunes, and even to accompany silent films shown on a television screen. It's not quite the real thing, but the money invested is much less and it fits into my house!