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Radio City Music Hall

Radio City Music Hall

Showplace of the Nation

 

Radio City Music Hall Organ

 

With a diapason chorus and other Kimball characteristics, the instrument is capable of performing a wide range of repertoire. The Wurlitzer sound still prevails, and for over 80 years, audiences have been enthralled by the performances of some outstanding staff musicians. Richard Leibert and Raymond Bohr are shown at left - both were incredibly talented artists and arrangers. Legend has it that the theater's first organist, Dick Leibert, was thirteenth in group of organists that auditioned for the position. Instead of playing something original, he played his versions of the numbers the previous hopefuls had played. He got the job immediately. For years the organ played at four shows a day, in addition to accompanying the symphony orchestra. The theatre maintained a live orchestra well into the 1960s.

The Wurlitzer theatre organ in New York City's Radio City Music Hall represents the largest instrument to leave the North Tonawanda plant. Entertaining the public since its installation in 1932, it was one of four Wurlitzer theater organs delivered to Rockefeller Center. The Music Hall organ was installed in four weeks time, and the instrument features two identical consoles, each capable of controlling the entire instrument. Its 58 ranks and 4,178 pipes are installed in eight chambers divided on either side of the stage. The original design called for the consoles to be placed on individual elevators at the ends of the orchestra lift, but last minute changes placed the consoles in alcoves on each side of the stage. The original specification for the Music Hall organ was by the Kimball Organ Co. and Wurlitzer followed this design, leading to an instrument that is unusual by Wurlitzer standards.

Radio City Music Hall Wurlitzer

In 2002, the original electro-pneumatic relay was replaced by a solid-state relay and combination action made by Peterson Electro Musical Products. With a plug-in connection, the consoles can now be placed anywhere on the stage or orchestra pit. While the organ isn't currently used on regular basis, it can often still be heard during the annual Christmas show. Other organs in the Rockefeller complex included a 3/14 Wurlitzer in a sound studio on the fifth floor of the music hall, the 4/34 Wurlitzer in the 3500 seat Center Theater, and the 3/10 Wurlitzer in the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Center. Of the four original organs, only the Music Hall organ remains.		 Radio City Wurlitzer
 

Radio City Wurlitzer  
STOP & CHAMBER ANALYSIS
               
     
Pitch
Pipes
Pressure
GREAT
1.
   Contra Bass [Pedal]
16 – 4
56
  
10"
  
2.
   Gedeckt
16 – 2
97
  
10"
  
3.
   Muted Diapason
16 – 2
97
  
10"
  
4.
   Viola
16 – 4
97
  
10"
  
5.
   Trombone/Tromba
16 – 4
85
  
15"
  
6.
   French Horn [1-12 Diaphone]
16 – 8
85
  
10"
  
7.
   First Open Diapason
8
73
  
10"
  
8.
   Second Open Diapason
8
73
  
10"
  
9.
   Concert Flute
8 – 4
85
  
10"
  
10.-11.
   Violins (2 ranks)
8
146
  
10"
  
12.
   Dulciana
8 – 4
85
  
10"
  
13.
   Unda Maris
8 – 4
85
  
10"
  
14.
   Clarinet
8
73
  
10"
  
15.
   Orchestral Oboe
8
73
  
10"
  
16.
   Octave
4
73
  
10"
  
17.-18.
   12th & 15th (2 ranks)
2-2/3 & 2
122
  
10"
  
19.-22.
   Mixture (4 ranks)  
244
  
10"
  
    Chrysoglott with dampers  
49
      
    Bird          
               
ORCHESTRAL
23.
   Violin Diapason
16 – 4
97
  
10"
  
24.
   Tibia Minor
16 – 4
97
  
10"
  
25.
   Wald Horn
16 – 4
97
  
10"
  
26.
   Horn Diapason
8
73
  
10"
  
27.-28.
   Spitz Flute Celeste (2 ranks)
8
134
  
10"
  
29.
   Gamba
8
73
  
10"
  
30.
   Gamba Celeste
8
73
  
10"
  
31.
   Salicional
8
73
  
10"
  
32.
   Voix Celeste
8
73
  
10"
  
33.-34.
   Muted Violin (2 ranks)
8
146
  
10"
  
35.
   Brass Trumpet
8
73
  
10"
  
36.
   Oboe Horn
8
73
  
10"
  
37.
   Vox Humana
8
73
  
6"
  
38.-39.
   Vox Humana (2 ranks)
8
146
  
6"
  
40.-45.
   Mixture (6 ranks)  
366
  
10"
  
               
SOLO
46.
   Tuba Sonora
32 – 4
109
  
15"
  
47.
   Tibia Clausa
32 – 4
109
  
15"
  
48.
   English Post Horn
16 – 8
85
  
15"
  
49.
   Diaphonic Diapason
8 – 4
85
  
25"
  
50.
   English Horn
16 – 8
85
  
10"
  
51.
   Violone/'Cello
16 – 4
97
  
15"
  
52.
   Cello Celeste
8
73
  
15"
  
53.
   Tuba Mirabilis
8
73
  
25"
  
54.
   Melophone
8
73
  
15"
  
55.
   Brass Saxophone
8
73
  
10"
  
56.
   Kinura
8
73
  
10"
  
57.
   Brass Horn
8
73
  
10"
  
58.
   Harmonic Flute
4
73
  
15"
  
               
PERCUSSION          
    Xylophone
4
49 notes
    
    Marimba
8
49 notes
    
    Glockenspiel
2
37 notes
    
    Chimes with dampers
8
25 notes
    
    Trap Assembly          
               
UNENCLOSED          
    Grand Piano (9' Mason & Hamlin)
16 – 4
85 notes
  

 

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Don Feely, Website Editor