Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2015-11-01 - This entry describes an original installation of a new pipe organ. Identified by Eric Schmiedeberg, using information found in Wurlitzer List by Judd Walton. -Database Manager
2015-11-08 - Updated through online information from Eric Schmiedeberg. -Database Manager
2015-11-08 - Updated through online information from Eric Schmiedeberg. -- I visited the MacDonald Theatre in 1995; a decade before it became the performing arts facility it is today. At that time, the organ-related areas of the theatre were still intact.<br><br>The load-in and load-out of this organ was remarkably easy as installations go. The ends of the two chambers were accessed through very large wooden doors with "ice box" type latch handles; the thresholds thereof being positioned in the stage wing walls and less than three feet above the stage floor.<br><br>The chambers were long, shallow triangles with hard plaster walls and large swell openings. Tonal egress would have been excellent. If the subsequent installations of this organ are any indication, then the MacDonald Wurlitzer must have been one of the better theatre organs in the state of Oregon, if not the West Coast. -Database Manager
2015-11-11 - Updated through online information from Eric Schmiedeberg. -- It is quite possible that this Wurlitzer is the first one to be influenced by Portland organist Glenn Shelley. According to Theatre Organ Society Historian Steve Levin, Shelley favored the rare Wurlitzer Krumet as a voice to be included in all of the Wurlitzers he had anything to do with.<br><br>Only 73 sets were ever manufactured. Wurlitzer built over 2,200 theatre organs. By 1924, Shelley had a sufficiently respected position among organists in Portland--of whom some were (and are) recognized as having been the greatest to play the theatre organ--to carry this sort of gravitas with his colleagues; as well as theatre owners and the Wurlitzer Company.<br><br>The Krumet and--after 1925--the (also rare) English Post Horn were trademark voices of Shelley's specifications. Along with these, Marimba/Harps and Pianos would also be featured. The organ showing the favor that Shelley showed toward these percussions is illustrated best in the 3/8 sent to Bligh's Capitol Theatre in Salem, OR.<br><br>Here we see the Piano and Marimba/Harp added to an instrument smaller than what would normally have contained these. Six of the seven Shelley Specials (as I call them) were 3-manual instruments of 8 to 13 ranks. The organs of ten ranks or less did not contain couplers (a typical Wurlitzer practice) and usually had reduced tuned percussion compliments.<br><br>This last element was probably due to the desire of offsetting the added costs associated with "special" instruments. It should be pointed out that the Shelley instruments were sold to theatres built and run by independent operators. This is unlike the Fox West Coast chain arrangement featuring organist Frank Lanterman's English Post Horn-equipped, coupler-heavy Wurlitzer 2/10 Style 216's. Cost-cutting modifications are not as necessary to large corporations!<br><br>Steve Levin is not the only person to have acknowledged Shelley's role in specifying all of the 3-manual Wurlitzers (and one 2-manual) in Oregon/Southwest Washigton area. It is understood and acknowledged in the pstos.org website, and acknowledged by historically-minded fans of the theatre organ; especially in the Pacific Northwest. It has been stated in other publications that Oliver Wallace had an influence on the designs that Shelley would create. Considering Wallace's reputation and acknowledged friendship with him, this is no doubt true. <br><br>Wallace was a Grand Master and had played the huge 33-rank Wurlitzer demonstrator/show organ many times at the Liberty Theatre in Portland. Here Shelley had numerous opportunities--beginning at the tender age of 17--to hear Wallace use the resources of that instrument. I can personally quote Shelley directly that he highly favored and valued the Krumet rank of that instrument, but dared not use it when he played the farewell concert on the Liberty organ in 1959, because it was temperamental and out of tune!<br><br>Shelley usually used Wurlitzer's Style "H-3M" ("H-3 Manual") or Style 235 as the basis of most his designs. These automatically incorporated Marimba/Harps and Pianos in their make-ups. Shelley would swap out the Orcchestral Oboes for English Post Horns on 10" wind and Kinuras for Krumets after 1925. All of the Shelley Specials will be found in the OHS Database. All of them were decidedly unusual Wurlitzers. The "Shelley Specials": <ul><li>Opus 1003--3/10--MacDonald Theatre--Eugene, OR--1925--Intact as of 2015 </li><li>Opus 1126--3/10--Egyptian Theatre--Coos Bay. OR--1925--Also intact </li><li>Opus 1257--3/13--Elsinore Theatre--Salem, OR (perhaps with some input from opening night organist Percy Burraston of Australia)--1926--Broken up </li><li>Opus 1427--3/8--Bligh's Capitol Theatre--Salem, OR--1926--Intact, minus Krumet </li><li>Opus 1679--3/10--Castle Theatre--Vancouver, WA--1927--Intact Opus 1710--3/13--Oriental Theatre--Portland, OR--1927--Broken up </li><li>Opus 1897--2/10--Pelican Theatre--Klamath Falls, OR--1928--Intact with full-sized 3-manual console and a 16' English Post Horn octave added by Wurlitzer in 1937--Aragon Ballroom--Chicago</li></ul><br>A possible "sister" to these is Opus 1580 sent to the Rialto Theatre in Bremerton, WA. This is a "stock" Style "F" with a Krumet instead of a Clarinet and is the only other Wurlitzer in the Pacific Northwest to contain the rank besides those above and the giant show/demonstrator Wurlitzers at the Liberty in Portland (4/33) and Coliseum Theatre (4/32) in Seattle. It should be noted that Krumets are not normally found on Wurlitzers of less than 26 ranks.<br><br> This illustrates the fact that they were usually specified in Specials where an organist realized the great utility of the rank and asked for them specifically as an addition or modification to a proposed installation. Wurlitzer factory records bear this out. <br><br>An interesting side note: According to Steve Levin, the Krumet rank had proven to be so popular in the Oregon/Washington area that the Robert Morton Company developed their own version of it for the "barn burner" 4/16 that they would install at the Music Hall Theatre in Seattle in 1927. One wonders if that might not have been to secure the sale in the face of Wurlitzer's dominance in the medium-to-large theatre instrument market of the Pacific Northwest! -Database Manager
2015-12-13 - Updated through online information from Eric Schmiedeberg. -Database Manager
Copied from a stoplist compiled by Cliel d' Autremont (aka Cleo DeAutry) Source: Source not recorded Date not recorded
Eugene, Oregon
MacDonald Theatre
Rudolph Wurlitzer Company Style "H" Special--Opus 1003, 1925--Single-rail 3-manual console.
PEDAL ACCOMPANIMENT GREAT
16' Tuba Profunda 16' Contra Viol TC 16' Tuba Profunda
16' Diaphone 16' Vox Humana TC 16' Contra Viol TC
16' Bourdon 8' Harmonic Tuba 16' Bourdon
8' Harmonic Tuba 8' Diaphonic Diapason 8' Harmonic Tuba--15" wind*
8' Diaphonic Diapason 8' Tibia Clausa 8' Diaphonic Diapason
8' Tibia Clausa 8' Clarinet 8' Tibia Clausa
8' Clarinet 8' Krumet 8' Clarinet
8' Cello (Violin and V. Celeste) 8' Orchestral Oboe 8' Krumet
8' Flute 8' Violin 8' Orchestral Oboe
4' Octave (Diapason) 8' Violin Celeste 8' Violin
Bass Drum 8' Concert Flute 8' Violin Celeste
Kettle Drum (Bass Drum roll) 8' Vox Humana 8' Concert Flute
Crash Cymbal 4' Piccolo 8' Vox Humana--6" wind
Cymbal 4' Violin 4' Clarion (Tuba)
4' Octave Celeste 4' Octave (Diapason)
4' Flute 4' Violin
4' Vox Humana 4' Octave Celeste
2-2/3' Twelfth (from Flute) 4' Flute
2' Piccolo (Flute) 2-2/3' Twelfth (Flute)
Marimba 2' Fifteenth (Violin)
Harp 2' Piccolo
Snare Drum 1-3/5' Tierce (Flute)
Tambourine Marimba
Castanets Harp
Chinese Block Glockenspiel
Tom Tom (single-stroke Snare) Cathedral Chimes
Sleigh Bells
SOLO BACK RAIL-------------------------------------------------
16' Tuba Profunda 16' Piano (Pedal) TREMULANTS
8' Tuba Horn 16' Piano--Acccomp.
8' Diaphonic Diapason 8' Piano--" " " Main
8' Tibia Clausa 4' Piano--" " " Solo
8' Clarinet Mandolin Vox
8' Krumet Tuba
8' Violin
8' Vox Humana ACCOMPANIMENT SECOND TOUCHES
4' Octave (Diapason)
4' Piccolo (Tibia) 8' Harmonic Tuba
Marimba 8' Diaphonic Diapason
Harp 8' Clarinet
Glockenspiel Cathedral Chimes
Cathedral Chimes Triangle
SOLO SECOND TOUCHES
16' Tuba Profunda
8' Tibia Clausa
8' Clarinet
--------------------------------------------------------------
KEY CHEEK BUTTONS TOE PISTONS
Accomp.--Right side--Door Bell Pedal Combinations 1-3
Horse Hooves
Great--Right side--Auto Horn, Surf Steamboat Whistle
Fire Gong (reiterating)
SWELL PEDALS SWELL COUPLERS
Main Main
Solo Solo
General (w/ Piano sustain stud and trigger for "Piano Emphasis")
Crescendo
COMBINATION ACTION PISTONS
Pedal--Toe Studs 1-3
Accomp.--10--PP-P-MF-F-FF/1-5
Great--10--P-MF-FF-FFF/1-5
Solo--6--1-6
*All pipework on 10" wind except where noted. Shades, percussions and console on 12"--Ed.
CHAMBER ANALYSIS
MAIN SOLO
16' Bourdon--97 pipes 8' Vox Humana--61 pipes
8' Violin--85 pipes 8' Orchestral Oboe--61 pipes
8' Violin Celeste--73 pipes 8' Tibia Clausa--73 pipes
16' Diaphonic Diapason--85 pipes 16' Harmonic Tuba--85 pipes
8' Clarinet--61 pipes 8' Krumet--61 pipes
Marimba/ Harp--49 notes
Glockenspiel--30 notes
Cathedral Chimes--25 notes
IN PIT
Upright Piano--85 notes
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