2016 - Organ chambers and console (Photograph by Joseph Routon, submitted by Jeff Scofield/Jeff Scofield)
Unknown - Console (Photograph by Kyle Black/Database Manager)
2006-05-15 - Identified through information adapted from <i>E. M. Skinner/Aeolian-Skinner Opus List</i>, by Sand Lawn and Allen Kinzey (Organ Historical Society, 1997), and included here through the kind permission of Sand Lawn: <br><i> The original builder was E. M. Skinner, Opus 818 (1930). Severely damaged in 1995 earthquake; complete restoration with addition of twenty-four rank Bombarde division and new five manual console.</i> -Database Manager
2015-05-14 - Updated through online information from Richard Harrold. -- HISTORICAL INFORMATION (also taken from the tech-spec PDF and corrected of errors): The Royce Grand Pipe Organ is here due in large part because of the generosity of the Harvey Mudd family and the vision of the University Provost Ernest Carroll Moore. Provost Moore enlisted Harold Gleason to design and install the instrument. The original side chambers were too small to house the organ as designed by Gleason and he persuaded the architects to allow the pipes to be placed over the proscenium arch. Installation and tuning was completed in the summer of 1930 and the inaugural concert was given by Gleason on Sept 9, 1930. <br> Alexander Schreiner was the first University Organist and gave tri-weekly organ concerts. Thomas Harmon, who assumed the position of University Organist, supervised the first renovation in 1969, which included replacing the original Skinner Console with one by M. P. MÅ‘ller. Upon completion of this renovation, Schreiner was invited to perform the inaugural concert. <br> Over the years, the organ's magnificent sounds could be heard in recordings and live concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic: it added to the solemnity of academic convocations and commencement ceremonies and soon became recognized as one of the largest and most historically significant organs in Los Angeles. <br> Having survived two damaging earthquakes (those of Long Beach, 1933, and Sylmar, 1971), a couple of fires and, in 1980, the flooding of the basement blower room by a gatecrasher, who accidentally snapped off a sprinkler head while trying to gain access through a smoke vent in the roof, the organ received extensive damage in the 1994 Northridge quake, which silenced it and closed Royce Hall for four years while seismic improvements were performed. <br> Though Royce was closed from 1994 to 1998, it wasn-t until February 1999 that the organ made its own encore, fully restored and better than ever after more than $1 million in repairs and renovations. Thanks to a $150,000 gift from the Ahmanson Foundation, the organ has been expanded with a new Bombarde division of 24 ranks of pipes, bringing it to a total of 104 ranks and more than 6,500 pipes (debatable - we need an accurate, incontrovertible pipe-count! R.H.). <br> Reflecting the musical tastes of the era, the Skinner organ of 1930 was essentially orchestral or symphonic in style, designed to play transcriptions of 19th-century orchestral and operatic music as well as organ music of that style. "The renovation goal," said then University Organist and UCLA Music Department Professor Thomas Harmon, "was to repair and preserve the original organ intact and, with new additions, to increase its versatility in the performance of German Baroque and French Romantic and contemporary music". <br> A new state-of-the-art five-manual console by Robert Turner of Turner Organs was installed, with the fifth manual controlling the new division of the instrument. The organ's robust sound has been further enriched by Royce Hall's recent acoustical renovations, which have lengthened the reverberation time. The care and supervision is now being guided by the current University Organist, Professor Christoph Bull. Under Professor Bull's supervision, the multi-level capture system installed in 1982 has been updated with additional memory capability as well as MIDI interfaces. -Database Manager
Stoplist copied from Royce Hall tech-spec PDF: http://roycehall.org/rental/pdf/royce/Royce_Hall_Technical_Specifications_2010.pd Source: Source not recorded Date not recorded
Los Angeles, California University of California Los Angeles, Royce Hall E. M. Skinner Opus 818, 1930, rebuilt Robert M. Turner, 1998 GREAT ORGAN (Manual II, *enclosed) Number of pipes 16' Diapason 61 16' Bourdon 5 (1-56 from Pedal) 8' First Open Diapason 61 8' Second Open Diapason 61 8' Third Open Diapason 61 8' Bourdon 61 8' Flûte Harmonique Bombarde 8' Harmonic Flute* 61 8' Gambe 61 8' Gemshorn* 61 4' Octave 61 4' Flûte Octaviante Bombarde 4' Flute* 61 2 2/3' Twelfth 61 2' Fifteenth 61 V Harmonics 305 V Cornet Bombarde VII Fourniture Bombarde V Mixture Bombarde 16' Bombarde Bombarde 16' Contra Tromba* 61 8' Trompette Harmonique Bombarde 8' Tromba* 61 4' Clairon Harmonique Bombarde 4' Octave Tromba* 61 Chimes (Solo) MIDI 1, 2, 3 SWELL ORGAN (Manual III) 16' Bourdon 73 8' Diapason 73 8' Rohrflöte 73 8' Gamba 73 8' Viola Celeste II 146 8' Salicional 73 8' Voix Celeste 73 4' Octave 73 4' Flûte 73 4' Violina 73 2' Flautino 61 V Cornet ? - possibly from Bombarde? V Mixture 305 III Carillon 183 16' Double Trumpet 73 8' Trumpet 73 8' Cornopean 73 8' Vox Humana 73 4' Clairon 73 Has the 8ft Oboe listed in the A-S archive been removed, or simply omitted from Royce Hall's document? Tremolo Swell Sub Swell Unison Off Swell Super MIDI 4 CHOIR ORGAN (Manual I, enclosed) 16' Contra Gamba 73 8' Geigen Diapason 73 8' Orchestral Flute 73 8' Viola 73 8' Viola Celeste 73 8' Kleine Erzähler II 146 4' Traverse Flute 73 4' Gambette 73 2 2/3' Nazard 61 2' Piccolo 61 1 3/5' Tierce 61 1 1/3' Larigot 61 8' Clarinet 73 8' Orchestral Oboe 73 Tremolo Harp Celesta Choir Sub Choir Unison Off Choir Super MIDI 5 SOLO ORGAN (Manual IV, enclosed) 8' Flauto Mirabilis 73 8' Gamba 73 8' Gamba Celeste 73 8' Ethereal Celeste II 146 4’ Orchestral Flute 73 1 3/5' Tierce 61 8' Tuba Mirabilis 73 8' French Horn 73 8' English Horn 73 4' Tuba Clarion 73 Chimes Harp (Choir) Celesta (Choir) Solo Sub Solo Unison Off Solo Super MIDI 6 BOMBARDE ORGAN (Manual V) - pipecounts presumed 8' Flûte Harmonique 61 8' Gambe 61 4' Flûte Octaviante 61 V Cornet ? V Mixture 305 VII Fourniture 427 16' Bombarde 61 8' Trompette Harmonique 61 4' Clairon Harmonique 61 16' Tuba Magna T.C. - 8' Tuba Magna 61 4' Tuba Magna 12 MIDI 9 PEDAL ORGAN (Expressive) 32' Diapason Resultant 32' Sub Bass 7 (1-5 resultant) 16' Diapason 32 16' Contra Bass 32 16' Metal Diapason Great 16' Bourdon 32 16' Contra Gamba Choir 16' Soft Bourdon Swell 8' Octave 12 8' Principal 12 8' Flute 12 8' Flûte Harmonique Bombarde 8' Soft Flute Swell 8' Gamba Choir 4' Flûte Octaviante 12 4' Soft Flute Swell 2' Piccolo Swell V Harmonics 160 VII Fourniture Bombarde V Mixture Bombarde 32' Bombarde 32 16' Trombone 12 16' Bombarde Bombarde 16' Contra Tromba Great 16' Double Trumpet Swell 8' Tromba 12 8' Trompette harmonique Bombarde 8' Trumpet Swell 4' Clarion 12 4' Clairon harmonique Bombarde 8' Tuba Magna Bombarde Chimes (Solo) MIDI 7, 8 Bombarde Division: 24 ranks 1,404 pipes - questionable - my presumed pipe-count (excluding Cornet) is 1171, short of the claim by 233, which is a prime number... Total: 104 ranks, 6,589 pipes - questionable, as above! Five Manual Console: Robert Turner Organs Expression pedals for Enclosed Great, Choir, Swell, Solo Adjustable crescendo pedal 4 levels SSL capture system combination action with 64 levels 22 general pistons: 1-20 manual pistons, 1-16, 21, 22 toe pistons 8 Divisional pistons for each manual 8 Divisional pedal pistons 6 Divisional toe studs Standard non programmable sequencer is the default for 22 Generals Programmable Sequencer with display Next and Previous pistons and toe studs for list sequencing Reversible pistons and toe studs for manual/ pedal couplers Toe levers for 32' stops and Tutti Bombarde / Solo transfer Great / Choir transfer MIDI interface MIDI 1 in / out / through for keyboard information only MIDI 2 out all information keyboards / stops / Expression shutters 1 = Bombarde 2 = Solo 3 = Swell 4 = Great 5 = Choir 6 = Pedal Adjustable bench [Received from Richard Harrold 2015-05-14.]
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