English Fair Organs vs. American Band Organs, A Musical Difference?

In a general sense one could say that there is quite a difference
when one compares the sound of an English Fair Organ to an American
Band Organ.  A lot of what I will say is based on my own opinions after
having listened to countless American band organs and many English
fairground organs.  I hope our British readers will not find this
Yankee presumptuous!  I have visited the Great Dorset Steam Fair
several times, George Cushing's Thursford Collection, and the Man-
chester Rally as well as Chiappa Ltd. in London.  I have had long chats
with both Albert and the late Victor Chiappa.  I will base my response
on the predominating surviving organs.

In England, the "sound" that I associate with fair organs is the
Violin-Baritone sound characteristic of the large number of surviving
organs which play the 89-key Violin-Baritone (VB) scale, as well as
the related 98-key scale which is based on the 89-key VB scale.  The
Violin-Baritone scale was introduced into England through the organs
of Charles Marenghi.

A violin-baritone organ has, in my opinion, a deep throaty full power-
ful sound which comes from the baritone and saxophone pipes which play
in the melody section.  When these pipes come on with the cellos and
violins, the organs have quite a potent sound.  This sound must have
been popular with the English showmen, because most Gavioli and Limon-
aire organs in England were converted to the VB scales.  The main organ
company which did the conversions was the Chiappa Ltd. in London.  The
89- and 98-key music used the same basic musical arrangements, except
that the 98-key scale had more registers.  Larger organs, such as the
110-key Gaviolis, were converted to the 98-key scale.

My favorite music on the VB organs is what is known as "riding music".
These well arranged songs are hit songs from the British music hall and
variety stages as well as American popular songs, especially those from
the 1920's.  In the Cushing collection there is a large 98-key VB con-
verted Gavioli playing for the gondola ride.  This organ was restored
by Tim Blythe and it sounds fantastic!  It gives you the English sound.
On this organ I especially like "Those Good Old Bad Old Days", "Brown
Eyes, Why are You Blue?", and "I Like to Be Beside the Seaside".
Recordings of this organ are available from the Thursford museum store.

The other organ which exemplifies the English fair organ sound is
Hunt's fabulous "Wonderland" 98-key VB scale Marenghi/Chiappa organ.
The selection to hear on this organ is the Wonderland Medley which ends
with a terrific arrangement of "That's Entertainment".

When one thinks of the American Band Organ sound, one usually thinks
of a Wurlitzer Band Organ.  A Wurlitzer band organ does sound different
than either an Artizan or a North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works
organ.  These distinctions would fill another MMD article.

Wurlitzer was a large company with a strong marketing department.
Their instruments dominated years ago in the heyday and they, for the
most part, dominate the collector's market today.  When one thinks of a
Wurlitzer, one thinks of a Wurlitzer 153 or 165 playing on a carousel.
Yet the skating rink market shaped the sound and musical arrangements
of 125 and 150 rolls and even influenced the arrangements of 165 rolls.

Wurlitzer organ scales, except the 180 scale and the 165 scale, have
their roots in Eugene DeKleist's company.  DeKleist originally worked
for Limonaire's London office when Limonaire was making brass trumpet
military barrel organs.  The first DeKleist organs had Limonaire
interiors in DeKleist built cabinets.  This procedure allowed DeKleist
to get around the stiff tariff imposed in the early 1890's.  I will say
that DeKleist scales were based on Limonaire brass trumpet barrel organ
scales.  These scales continued into the Wurlitzer years.

The 125 and 150 scales were made for use on both brass trumpet organs
and all wood pipe organs.  The skating rinks were the prime market for
the brass organs.  Skating rink music had to have a strict rhythm for
the skaters -- Wurlitzer discussed this in their catalogs.  Thus Wurli-
tzer skating music becomes quite predictable.  Also, since these rolls
were made for both brass and wood organs, the melody of the music was
carried in _both_ the trumpet and melody pipe sections.

On a brass trumpet organ, the brass trumpets predominate.  The arranger
probably figured that the melody needed to be played in the brass to
sound good; especially in a noisy skating environment.  This does not
mean that a countermelody can not also be played at the same time on
the other brass trumpets.  This style of arranging combined with strict
tempo gives Wurlitzer band organ music a characteristic sound, or what
one would call an American band organ sound.

A 165 on the other hand is different, and adds to the American band
organ sound.  This non-DeKleist scale was based on the Gebruder Bruder
Elite Orchester Apollo 69-key scale and not a brass trumpet organ
scale.

The orchestral pipework of the Elite Orchester design is beautifully
balanced and a pleasure to listen to.  It was the result of many years
of organ building.  The scale features swell shutters for expression,
triangle, castanets, crash cymbal, and timpani in addition to the usual
traps and controls.  As a result of the roller skating influence, some-
times the trumpets are played in unison with the melody section and
sometimes the music is a bit predictable; but, all in all, the Wurlitzer
arrangements for this scale are great.

I particularly like the rolls from around WW1 and the 1920's --
especially songs like "Swinging Down the Lane".  The arranger took
advantage of the organ's potential in much the way that the same
arranger took advantage of the potential of a Philipps PianOrchestra
also sold by Wurlitzer.  He or she gave a definite American quality to
a European design.  I never tire of listening to a nicely restored 165!

Tim Trager
Trager@idt.net