Mitsukoshi Department Store,
Wurlitzer, opus #2099, 1930, Model R20
MAIN CHAMBER Pedal Accomp Great Solo
16 Tuba 73p 16,8 8
16,8 16,8
16 Open Diapason 83p
16,8 8 16,8,4 8,4
8 Clarinet 61p 8 8 16,8 8
8 Salicional 73p 8
16,8,4 16,8,4 8
8 Voix Celeste 73p 8
8,4 8,4
16 Concert Flute 97p
16,8 8,4 16,8,4,3,2 8,4,3,2
8 Dulciana 73p 8 8,4
8,4
Chrysoglott 49n X
SOLO CHAMBER
8 Brass Trumpet 61p 8 8
8 Tibia Clausa 73p 8
8,4 16,8,4 8,4
8 Oboe Horn 61p 8 8 8
8 Vox Humana 61p 8,4 8 8
Chimes 25n X X
COUPLERS
Accomp 8 16,-8,4
Great 8
Solo
8 16,8,4
TREMULANTS:
("3" = "2-2/3"; "-8" = "unison off")
This organ is installed on the store's seventh floor theatre and exhibition
hall in two adjacent chambers that face out onto a balcony containing the
console, which has two straight rows of stoptabs and a roll top. There is
also a player mechanism. The manual keys' ivory plates are held on by six
brass screws per key, perhaps as insurance against high humidity loosening
the glue. There is no 2nd touch. The stoptabs are all white (stops) and
black (couplers); the engraving is red for the reed stops.
The 16' octave of the Diapason was a metal Diaphone and the Tibia was of
"solo scale".
In 1959 and still in 1974 the organist was Hiroshi Matsugawa. In each year
the organ was reported to be basically, but not fully, playable. It was
used for several short concerts each day. In 1974, this was the only
Wurlitzer
in
According to the Judd Walton opus list, Wurlitzer built a total of 7 of
these "RJ20" models, but the standard specification called for a 12th rank,
an Orchestral Oboe on the Great and Solo.
(From "Theatre Organ" for the Summer of 1959 and "The Console" for January
of 1974.)
Larry Chace
===========================================================
There
is a Wurtlizer 3/12 organ installed in the Mitsukoshi
Department Store in
The
organ went down and down and in 1985 Phil Wickstrom
and I restored it, adding a toy counter and roll player (Wurlitzer Band Organ
165) The original player was still
connected but all the rolls were burned in the war.
So
for 20 years I have played three programs at 10, 12,and
3 and have kept it in fairly good condition.
I
believe it was originally intended as a residence organ, as it is not a
horseshoe console. It is located in a
balcony overlooking the main floor, and the store is open up to the fifth
floor, somewhat like Wanamakers.
Victor
C. Searle
Curator
and Organist
Mitsukoshi
Main Store,