During my university days in New York I was fortunate enough to have had access to the Music Hall Studio on a few occasions, in the company of Ray Bohr or Jack Ward, Music Hall organists at the time. What follows is the stoplist as I copied it from the console in 1970, and some notes taken from conversations with Ray, Jack and Warren Westervelt, who was in charge of the rebuild of the main organ in those days.
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3/14 WURLITZER, PLAZA SOUND STUDIO, RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY (1932)
Wurlitzer No. 2180, shipped October 11, 1932 to the "Radio City Broadcast Studio" as a "Special 3-manual".
| 16 | Contra Viol (VDO ) (M ) |
| 16 | Contra Fagotto (Oboe Horn) (S) |
| 16 | Bourdon (Flute ) (M) |
| 8 | Tuba (M) |
| 8 | Open Diapason (M) |
| 8 | Tibia Clausa (S) |
| 8 | Solo String (S) |
| 8 | Cello (Viol Celeste) (M) |
| 8 | Oboo Horn (S) |
| 8 | Concert Flute (M) |
| Bass Drum, Band | |
| Bass Drum, Orchestral | |
| Cymbal | |
| Great Octave to Pedal | |
| -------------------- | |
| Bass Drum, Band | |
| Tympani (Base Drum Roll) | |
| Cymbal | |
| Chinese Gong | |
| -------------------- | |
| 16 | Bourdon (Flute ) (M) |
| 16 | Vox Humana TC (M) |
| 8 | Brass Trumpet (S) |
| 8 | Tuba (M ) |
| 8 | Open Diapason (M) |
| 8 | Tibia Plena (16 Saxophone TC ) (M) |
| 8 | Tibia Clausa (S) |
| 8 | Clarinet (M) |
| 8 | Krumet (S) |
| 8 | Solo String (S) |
| 8 | Viol d'Orchestre (M) |
| 8 | Vlol Celeste (M) |
| 8 | Quintadena (S) |
| 8 | Oboe Horn (S) |
| 8 | Concert Flute (M) |
| 8 | Vox Humana (M) |
| 4 | Octave (Diapason) (M) |
| 4 | Tibia Plena (8 Saxophone) (M) |
| 4 | Tibia Clausa (S) |
| 4 | Violin (VDO) (M) |
| 4 | Octave Celeste (M) |
| 4 | Concert Flute (M) |
| 4 | Vox Humana (M) |
| 2 | Piccolo (Tibia) (S) |
| Harp Celesta (S) | |
| Glockenspiel (S) | |
| Shuffle | |
| Snare Drum, Roll | |
| Tambourine | |
| Castanets | |
| Chinese Block, Tap | |
| Chinese Block, Roll | |
| Tom-Tom | |
| Accompaniment Octave | |
| -------------------- | |
| 8 | Brass Trumpet (S) |
| 8 | Tuba (M ) |
| 8 | Open Diapason (M) |
| 8 | Viol d'Orchestre (M) |
| 4 | Violin (VDO) (M) |
| Glockenspiel (S) | |
| Cathedral Chimes (S) | |
| Snare Drum, Roll | |
| Chinese Block, Tap | |
| Triangle | |
| -------------------- | |
| 16 | Tuba TC (M ) |
| 16 | Tibia Clausa TC (S) |
| 16 | Contra Viol (VDO ) (M ) |
| 16 | Contra Fagotto (Oboe Horn) (S) |
| 16 | Bourdon (Flute ) (M) |
| 16 | Vox Humana TC (M) |
| 8 | Brass Trumpet (S) |
| 8 | Tuba (M ) |
| 8 | Open Diapason (M) |
| 8 | Tibia Plena (16 Saxophone TC ) (M) |
| 8 | Tibia Clausa |
| 8 | Clarinet (M) |
| 8 | Krumet (S) |
| 8 | Solo String (S) |
| 8 | Viol d'Orchestre (M) |
| 8 | Vlol Celeste (M) |
| 8 | Quintadena (S) |
| 8 | Oboe Horn (S) |
| 8 | Concert Flute (M) |
| 8 | Vox Humana (M) |
| 4 | Clarion (Tuba) (M) |
| 4 | Octave (Diapason) (M) |
| 4 | Tibia Plena (8 Saxophone) (M) |
| 4 | Tibia Clausa (S) |
| 4 | Solo String (S) |
| 4 | Violin (VDO) (M) |
| 4 | Octave Celeste (M) |
| 4 | Oboe Horn (S) |
| 4 | Concert Flute (M) |
| 4 | Vox Humana (M) |
| 2 2/3 | Tibia Twelfth (Clausa) (S) |
| 2 2/3 | Twelfth (Flute) (M) |
| 2 | Piccolo (Tibia Plena) (4 Saxophone) (M) |
| 2 | Piccolo (Tibia Clausa) (S) |
| 2 | Fifteenth (VDO) (M) |
| 2 | Piccolo (Flute) (M) |
| 1 3/5 | Tierce (Flute) (M) |
| Harp Celesta (S) | |
| Xylophone (S) | |
| Glockenspiel (S) | |
| Cathedral Chimes (S) | |
| Great Octave | |
| -------------------- | |
| 16 | Tuba TC (M ) |
| 8 | Brass Trumpet (S) |
| 8 | Open Diapason (M) |
| 8 | Solo String (S) |
| -------------------- | |
| 16 | Tuba TC (M ) |
| 16 | Tibia Clausa TC (S) |
| 16 | Contra Viol (VDO ) (M ) |
| 16 | Contra Fagotto (Oboe Horn) (S) |
| 8 | Brass Trumpet (S) |
| 8 | Tuba (M ) |
| 8 | Open Diapason (M) |
| 8 | Tibia Plena (16 Saxophone TC ) (M) |
| 8 | Tibia Clausa |
| 8 | Clarinet (M) |
| 8 | Krumet (S) |
| 8 | Solo String (S) |
| 8 | Viol d'Orchestre (M) |
| 8 | Vlol Celeste (M) |
| 8 | Quintadena (S) |
| 8 | Oboe Horn (S) |
| 8 | Concert Flute (M) |
| 4 | Clarion (Tuba) (M) |
| 4 | Tibia Plena (8 Saxophone) (M) |
| 4 | Tibia Clausa (S) |
| 4 | Violin (VDO) (M) |
| 4 | Octave Celeste (M) |
| 4 | Concert Flute (M) |
| 2 2/3 | Tibia Twelfth (Clausa) (S) |
| 2 | Piccolo (Tibia Plena) (4 Saxophone) (M) |
| 2 | Piccolo (Tibia Clausa) (S) |
| Xylophone (S) | |
| Glockenspiel (S) | |
| Orchestra Bells (S) | |
| Cathedral Chimes (S) |
TREMULANTS
Main
Vox Humana (M)
Solo
Tibia Clausa (S)
10 Single-touch combination pistons for each of the Accompaniment and Solo Manuals.
10 Double-touch combination pistons for each of the Great Manual (First touch Great manual only; Second touch General, affecting Great, Accompaniment and Pedal, but not Solo).
All piston combinations are independent and are adjustable on setterboards in the blower room.
One Cancel piston for each manual.
Tremulant Cancel Piston and Traps Cancel Piston centered above Solo manual.
One red indicator light each for Sforzando and Crescendo.
Two balanced swell shoes, one for each chamber.
One register Crescendo shoe, adjustable on board in console.
Three single-touch toe studs for Pedal combinations.
Sforzando toe lever.
GENERAL NOTES
The console shell is a 3-manual scale copy of the custom ebony "deco" design used for the Music Hall's auditorium consoles.
The console was on a moveable platform. Chambers were side by side covered by a decorative black wooden screen of "deco" design. Windchests are chromatic. According to Music Hall organist Ray Bohr, the couplers were added after installation.
Bohr, Music Hall organist Jack Ward, and Warren Westervelt, who was in charge of the rebuild in the late sixties, also told me at different times that the Tibia Plena was exchanged for the Saxophone from the auditorium organ sometime after installation because of recording/broadcast overmodulation problems. This led to the unusual situation of the big organ for years having two Tibia Plena ranks (the big organ's is called "Melophone" on the stop tabs) in the same chamber. These ranks were returned to their correct instruments in 1970 during the rebuild of the big organ.
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