Click on any image to enlarge Radio City Music Hall 1260 Avenue of the Americas at 50th Street New York, N.Y. 10020 http://www.radiocity.com When Radio City Music Hall was planned in the early 1930s, S.L. Roxy Rothafel, chief of architecture and construction for the hall and its sister Center Theater (at Sixth and 49th), planned to install the largest theater organ ever built. He was best acquainted with the Kimball Organ Co., having given this firm the contract for three organs at the great theater bearing his name on Seventh Avenue, so Kimball was contacted to bid on a large organ for the Music Hall. Legend has it that the Rockefeller board of trustees felt that the most prestigious theater in the country should have an organ built by the country's top theater organ company, so the contract was eventually awarded to the Wurlitzer Company of North Tonowanda, N.Y. Strange as it may seem, the Kimball specification was retained, even though the organ was built by Wurlitzer; this may have been the influence of Roxy, but what really transpired is unknown today. Although Kimball built many theater organs, they never built the pure, thoroughbred theater organ that Wurlitzer did, and their organs often retained a concert nature. A typical theater organ's Great division would contain every available stop except the loudest reeds, but Radio City's 19-rank Great (house right) resembles Kimball's concert organs, being based on an independent principal chorus with pitches from 16' to mixtures. The Orchestral division (also house right) of 23 ranks, contains a secondary principal chorus, reeds 16' and 8', and a string chorus, resembling a concert Swell division. The Solo division (house left) of 13 ranks houses the most powerful stops, including a tuba and diaphonic diapason on 25" wind, a posthorn on 15", a tibia clausa extending to 32', and a large-scale wooden bombarde 32'. The Solo also contains the tuned percussions and traps. Another unusual feature is the inclusion of an independent 16' contra bass (56 pipes) in the pedal, again following Kimball's notion of a concert organ. The organ is played by two identical four-manual consoles which are completely independent of each other and can sustain separate registrations, unlike the more usual installation in which a second console was a slave to the first. Its 58 ranks and 4,178 pipes are installed in eight chambers divided on either side of the stage. A recent rebuilding included solid-state control systems throughout and the ability to locate either or both consoles at any point on the stage, the orchestra pit elevator, or the original alcove positions. A complete MIDI interface has been installed. (Based on an article by RCMH organist, the late David Messineo.)                           Stage Right Console   Stage Left Console Wurlitzer Organ Company  North Tonawanda, N.Y. – Opus 2179 (1932) Electro-pneumatic action 2 identical consoles, 4 manuals, 58 ranks             Great (Manual II) – 61 notes 32   Double Lieblich Gedeckt (TC) 2 2/3   12th and 15th II 16   Trombone 2   Super Octave 16   Muted Diapason 2   Flautina 16   Lieblich Gedeckt     Mixture IV ranks 8   Trumpet 8   Grand Piano 8   Tuba Sonora 8   Cathedral Chimes 8   Tromba 4   Xylophone 8   Diapason 2   Glockenspiel 8   Melophone 8   Harp 8   Open Diapason (1st) 4   Celesta 8   Open Diapason (2nd)     Snare Drum 8   Violin Diapason       8   Tibia Clausa Great Second Touch 8   Tibia Minor 16   English Post Horn 8   Muted Diapason 16   Tuba Profunda 8   French Horn 16   Contre Tibia Clausa 8   Viola 16   Basset Horn [TC] 8   Concert Flute 16   Bass Clarinet [TC] 8   Lieblich Gedeckt 16   English Horn 8   Dulciana 8   Tuba Mirabilis 8   Unda Maris 8   English Post Horn 8   Vox Humana 8   Tuba Sonora 8   Vox Humana II 8   Diapason 4   Tromba Clarion 4   Tibia Flute 4   Octave 4   Harmonic Flute 4   Muted Octave     Snare Drum 4   Tibia Minor     Chinese Block 4   Tranverse Flute     Triangle 4   Flute d'Amour                   Orchestral (Manual III) – 61 notes 16   Wald Horn 8   Violins II 16   Violin Diapason  8   Spitzflute Celeste II  ranks 16   Bourdon  8   Muted Violins II  16   Vox Humana (TC) 8   Concert Flute  16   Vox Humana II (TC) 8   Dulciana  8   English Post Horn  8   Unda Maris  8   Trumpet  8   Vox Humana  8   Tuba Sonora  8   Vox Humana II  8   Diapason  4   Clarion  8   Melophone  4   Octave  8   Horn Diapason  4   Tibia Minor  8   Violin Diapason  4   Tranverse Flute  8   Wald Horn  4   Harmonic Flute  8   Tibia Clausa  4   Flute d'Amour  8   Tibia Minor  4   Vox Humana  8   Basset Horn  4   Vox Humana II  8   Orchestral Oboe  2 2/3   Nazard  8   Clarinet  2   Piccolo  8   Saxophone  2   Harmonic Piccolo  8   French Horn  2   Flautina  8   Kinura  1 3/5   Tierce  8   English Horn    Mixture VI  8   Oboe Horn  8   Grand Piano  8   Gamba  8   Marimba  8   Gamba Celeste  8   Marimba Harp  8   Salicional  4   Xylophone  8   Vox Celeste  2   Glockenspiel  8   Viola  8   Harp  8   Violin 'Cello  4   Celesta  8   'Cello Celeste                    Solo (Manual IV) – 61 notes 16   English Post Horn 8   Viola 16   Tuba Profunda  8   Violin 'Cello  16   Wald Horn  8   'Cello Celeste  16   Contra Tibia Clausa  8   Violins II  16   Basset Horn (TC)  8   Concert Flute  16   Bassoon (TC)  8   Vox Humana  16   Bass Clarinet (TC)  8   Vox Humana II  16   Bass Saxophone (TC) 4   Cornet 16   Kinura (TC) 4   Clarion 16   English Horn 4   Tibia Flute 16   Violone 4   Tibia Minor 16   Contra Viole 4   Harmonic Flute 16   Vox Humana (TC) 4   Octave Viola 16   Vox Humana II (TC) 4   Cello 8   Tuba Mirabilis 4   Violins II 8   English Post Horn 2 2/3   Tibia Twelfth 8   Trumpet 2 2/3   Flute Twelfth 8   Tuba Sonora 2   Tibia Piccolo 8   Wald Horn 2   Piccolo 8   Diapason 2   Harmonic Piccolo 8   Melophone 8   Grand Piano 8   Violin Diapason 4   Grand Piano 8   Tibia Clausa 8   Cathedral Chimes 8   Tibia Minor 8   Marimba 8   Basset Horn 8   Marimba Harp 8   Orchestral Oboe 4   Xylophone 8   Clarinet 2   Xylophone 8   Saxophone 2   Glockenspiel 8   French Horn 2   Orchestral Bells 8   Kinura 8   Harp 8   English Horn 4   Celesta             Accompaniment (Manual I) – 61 notes 16   Wald Horn 8   Grand Piano 16   Bass Clarinet (TC) 4   Grand Piano 16   Contra Viola 8   Marimba 16   Lieblich Gedeckt 8   Marimba Harp 16   Double Dulciana (TC) 4   Xylophone 8   Tuba Sonora 2   Glockenspiel 8   Tromba 8   Harp 8   Violin Diapason 4   Celesta 8   Wald Horn     Snare Drum 8   Tibia Clausa     Tambourine 8   Tibia Minor     Castanets 8   Muted Diapason      Chinese Block  8   Orchestral Oboe      Tom-Tom  8   Clarinet      Shuffle  8   French Horn        8   Kinura  Accompaniment Second Touch 8   English Horn  8   Melophone  8   Viola  8   English Post Horn  8   Violins II  8   Tuba Sonora  8   Concert Flute  8   Tromba  8   Lieblich Gedeckt  8   Diapason  8   Dulciana  8   Tibia Clausa  8   Unda Maris  8   Basset Horn  8   Vox Humana  8   Clarinet  8   Vox Humana II  8   Saxophone  4   Clarion  8   'Cellos II  4   Muted Octave  8   English Horn  4   Octave Viola  8   Cathedral Chimes  4   Violins II  2   Glockenspiel  4   Transverse Flute      Snare Drum  4   Flute d'Amour     Chinese Block 4   Dulciana     Triangle 4   Unda Maris     Bird 4   Vox Humana       4   Vox Humana II Accompaniment Pizzacato Touch 2 2/3   Nazard 8   English Post Horn 2   Piccolo 8   Tuba Sonora 2   Flautina 8   Melophone 2   Dolcetin 8   Tibia Clausa 1 3/5   Tierce 8   Saxophone       8   'Cellos II             Pedal – 32 notes 64   Gravissima 8   Violins III 32   Bombarde 8   Concert Flute 32   Sub Bass 8   Lieblich Gedeckt 16   English Post Horn 4   Cornet 16   Tuba Profunda 4   Tromba Clarion 16   Trombone 4   Super Octave 16   Diaphone 4   Tibia Minor 16   Wald Horn 4   Open Flute 16   Contra Bass 4   'Cello 16   Contra Tibia Clausa 4   'Cello Celeste 16   Violone 4   Violins III 16   Violin Diapason     Mixture III 16   Muted Diapason 16   Grand Piano 16   Contra Viola 8   Grand Piano 16   French Horn 8   Cathedral Chimes 16   English Horn     Thunder Drum 16   Bourdon     Bass Drum 16   Lieblich Gedeckt     Cymbals 10 2/3   Tuba Quint     Snare Drum 10 2/3   Quint       8   Tuba Mirabilis Pedal Second Touch 8   English Post Horn 32   Bombarde 8   Tuba Sonora 32   Sub Bass 8   Tromba 10 2/3   Tuba Quint 8   Diapason 8   Cathedral Chimes 8   Octave     Thunder Drum 8   Wald Horn     Bass Drum 8   Tibia Clausa     Tympani 8   Violin 'Cello     Cymbals 8   'Cello Celeste     Persian Cymbals 8   Violin Diapason     Chinese Gong 8   Tibia Minor     Triangle 8   Muted Diapason     Grand Crash                         Sources:     Junchen, David L. The WurliTzer Pipe Organ – An Illustrated History. Compiled and edited by Jeff Weiler. Indianapolis: The American Theatre Organ Society, 2005.     Messineo, David. Article on the organ in Radio City Music Hall. Photos:     Steven E. Lawson: organ consoles             | NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organ Project List |