TOP STORY
Screenshot of the new MidiTzer 3MSP Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ
Super-Size Your MidiTzer!
The MidiTzer Development team has been hard at work on a 3 manual version of the MidiTzer. The 3 manual version is a combination of the Balaban 4 and the Style 260, each among the biggest 3 manual WurliTzers made. Throw in a few extras from the Style 216 and you've got a really big 3 manual WurliTzer. The 3 manual version is being called the 3MSP, the WurliTzer factory designation for a 3 manual special, an organ not made to a standard WurliTzer plan.
Program developer Jim Henry reports that the 3MSP has so many stop tabs that it is unlikely that it could have been fit into a standard WurliTzer 3 manual console. Joe Barron, a member of the testing team, had this reaction when he first saw the 3MSP:
Sheesh! Is this thing big! Congratulations, you've emulated the intimidation that comes when sitting at big organ consoles. I love it.
DAILY NEWS
03/31/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 20,508 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Of ISP's And Updates...
Some of our most loyal patrons from overseas have been having difficulty getting to Walnut Hill lately. We have been noted several times about this by our members at the Walnut Hill VTPO newsgroup on Yahoo! Music Groups. We sent letters off to out gracious host at the Theatre Organ Home Page and received speedy replies explaining the problem and the solution.
Within days, the Theatre Organ Home Page will get a new faster line provided by a different ISP, or Internet Service Provider. This move is necessary in order to keep up with the explosive growth of the Theatre Organ Home Page as well as our own website. It will allow much faster connection and download speeds for our viewers, plus it will allow new technologies to be embedded within our pages, such as links to streaming video. We will also be able to keep the quality of our radio broadcast a cut above the norm.
During this transition, there have been many outages that have prevented timely updates to Walnut Hill. Therefor, the Featured Organ of the Month for April 2006 will appear slightly later than normal. Also, planned inclusion of two new Wall of Fame inductees will be pushed back for a bit longer.
Rest assured that when the new line and ISP are finally in place and all is running smoothly, the wait will have been worth, it as there is lots of new material on the way for you, our valuable patrons. Thank you for your patience and continued enthusiasm during this time of great change. Stay tuned...
03/30/2006
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I want to thank the 20,470 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
The First Lady of the Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ
The legendary Rosa Rio, House Organist for the Tampa Theatre
This was posted today by fellow Walnut Hill VTPO group member Chaz Bender. We quote him below:
To all our Theatre Organ Friends:
The Central Florida Theatre Organ Society is happy to announce that there is now a superb biography of the world renowned theatre organist extraordinaire Rosa Rio on our website.
This biography was written by a longtime friend. Rosa became the first woman to do many things in the theatre organ scene that had never been done by a woman before. She has been playing non-stop since the mid 20's. This biography is a must read about a premier performer. There are not many left.
Rosa will perform at the Tampa Theatre for the silent film Beyond the Rocks starring Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino during the 51st Annual ATOS Florida Convention in May, and will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Visit the CFTOS website and scroll down to Rosa Rio, then click on the flashing jewel to see her page and read the biography. Thank you very much.
Cheers!
Chaz L. Bender II
New Port Richey, Florida
Telephone - 1(800)813-0594
Webmaster
TheatrePipeOrgan.com
CinemaOrgan.com
MightyWurliTzer.com
Member and Performer
organmusicians.com
Board of Directors Member
Manasota Theatre Organ Society
03/29/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 20,430 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Latest Developments for the MidiTzer Style 260SP
Many people have asked us about the particulars of the upcoming version of the Mighty MidiTzer known as the 3MSP, a virtual model of a 3/19 Mighty WurliTzer Special Theatre Pipe Organ for your computer. We quote the creator of the Mighty MidiTzer, Jim Henry, below:
Since the plans for how the MidiTzer Style 260SP would be made available have gone through so many changes so rapidly, I thought it would be helpful to give a concise summary of what seems to be the final plan.
I am giving the MidiTzer Style 216 away for free to encourage people to learn more about theatre organs and hopefully become involved with the preservation and promotion of the remaining examples of real theatre pipe organs. This will not change.
The MidiTzer Syle 260SP will be used as a vehicle to raise money for theatre organ causes that I particularly want to see supported. These will probably be things that have some special significance to the MidiTzer community. I will give a registration code as a thank you gift to those who contribute $100 or more to the theatre organ cause being promoted. From my perspective, the MidiTzer Style 260SP is still being given away as I don't receive any money for it.
When the MidiTzer Style 260SP is finally released, which I am hoping is sometime in April, it will operate in three modes:
1. Evaluation: Everything except MIDI Input will work and this level of capability will always be available. Anyone who wants to explore, but not really play, a big organ with it unique features will always be able to do so.
2. Trial: There will be a 60 day trial period where you can enable MIDI Input to confirm that the program works to your satisfaction with your hardware. People will be encourage to make good use of this because the support plan for the MidiTzer Style 260SP is the same as for the MidiTzer Style 260SP.
3. Registered: Entering a registration code will enable MIDI Input permanently. The registration codes will be furnished by email once the contribution is confirmed.
Jim Henry
03/28/2006
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I want to thank the 20,413 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Paul Kealy's MitiTzer installation, version 2
Fellow Walnut Hill Wall of Fame member Paul Kealy has updated the information his Mighty MidiTzer installation to include more details of his latest setup, including some new pictures of the massive machine. Click here to learn more...
03/27/2006
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I want to thank the 20,384 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
03/26/2006
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I want to thank the 20,337 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Springtime In Stockholm, Sweden
A Report by Assistant Editor Per Oluf Schultz
Reported by Associate Editor Per Oluf Schultz, WHOC
Dear Friends,
It looks like the spring is coming to this remote place on earth after all. Today we changed to Daylight savings time or summertime as we call it. The sun is shining and it's about +5C. Not bad. Now it's only 59 days to the Convention. I got everything sorted out and should arrive in Tampa on May 23.
On April 3 we will hold our first official Skandia WurliTzer meeting. Invitations are sent out and we will, before the official part, have some entertainment. Music will be played on the big organ, we will show Jelani Eddington playing, and some other activities. We will also serve snacks and a bar with assorted refreshment will also be available.
Next week will be busy with planning and work out the small details. I really look forward to this, and after the meeting we (the society) will own a genuine WurliTzer pipe organ.
I look forward to even more fun,
Per Schultz
03/25/2006
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I want to thank the 20,304 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Connection Problems For Visitors
The past week has seen some connection problems that prevented some of our loyal patrons from Australia and Hong Kong from accessing the site. This was brought to the attention of our gracious hosts, and we were quickly informed that a solution was in hand and being implimented.
There have been some snags with the ISP that gets our data in and out from Houston. Within 30 days, another ISP will take over servicing the servers in Houston, and we shall see a resolution at that time.
Thank you for your patronage and patience, folks. As the Good Lord says, "Good things come to those who wait." Hang in there, my friends and stay tuned...
03/24/2006
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I want to thank the 20,228 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
03/23/2006
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I want to thank the 20,177 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Screenshot of the new MidiTzer 3MSP Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ.
A new release of the MidiTzer 3MSP Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ became available for download today at VirtualOrgan.com.
Sleigh Bells have been added to thids release, version 0.64, and Mighty MidiTzer creator Jim Henry reports that he doesn't think much else has changed. "You should get a new 3 day trial period. If all goes well, I'll post a test registration code next week." he said.
03/22/2006
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I want to thank the 20,123 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
03/21/2006
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I want to thank the 20,090 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
03/20/2006
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I want to thank the 20,046 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
This news was posted today on the Theatreorgans.com mailing list by Frances Monte. We quote him below:
Ashley Miller's daughter-in-law, Starr Miller, asked that I send the following to all of you.
Ashley regrettably passed away at 4:30 AM on March 20, 2006. He was at home surrounded by his family.
Please pass this information to anyone you know that may be interested.
Viewing - Tues., March 21st & Wed., March 22nd
Time - 7:00 to 9:00 PM both evenings
Place - Moritz Funeral Home
348 Closter Dock Road
Closter, NJ
Telephone - 201.768.4200
In lieu of flowers, the Miller family will be setting up a Scholarship Fund in Ashley's name, sometime in the near future. As soon as Starr Miller informs me of more details I will forward them to you.
Cremation will be private. A memorial service is to be announced at a later date.
Sincerely,
Frances Monte
03/19/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 20,003 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
20,000 Visitors Since 1/1/2005!
Once again, Walnut Hill reaches another milestone with 20,000 visitors since the hit counter was reset on January 1st of 2005. We reset the hit counter at the beginning of 2005 to reflect the fact that the first nine months of operation from April to Decenber of 2004 was merely a trial run. In that nine months, we had 9,850 visitors. Add that to the current hit counter reading and we now total 29,850 happy campers, just 150 hits away from 30,000!
The future is indeed bright for the King of Instruments, with many TPO websites experiencing an upward trend in visitation. The Mighty MidiTzer continues to grow in popularity. Instruments are being restored worldwide and there is a new trend developing where the young people are getting excited about the Theatre Pipe Organ.
I want to thank each and every one who visits us. You have made Walnut Hill what it is today, one of the fast growing and largest TPO websites on the internet. We could not have done this without you!
Jim Henry has released a new test version of the Mighty Miditzer Style 260SP. The news was posted on the MidiTzer Forum yesterday, and we quote him below:
This is what I am thinking of for copy protection in the release version of the Miditzer Style 260SP:
When you start up, you are in Demo mode. MIDI Input is not enabled. You can stay in this mode as long as you like.
You are offered the opportunity to begin a time limited Trial mode each time you start in Demo mode. For the actual first release, I am thinking of a 60 day trial. However, for this test version, you will get a 3 day trial. When the trial expires, you go back to Demo mode.
You can register either when you start in Trial mode or through the menu at any time. Registration is forever, of course. I will provide a registration code for testing on Thursday, March 23.
Please look for problems with using the copy protection and for ways of circumventing it, or just plain goofs that make it not protect the software.
This test version will expire altogether at the end of the month.
This is pretty complete as far as the Miditzer Style 260SP itself goes except for the default combinations. The default maps are set but there are no default settings on the combinations or the crescendo.
Have fun!
03/18/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,968 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
The Times Online
by Ruth Gledhill
An EU directive aimed at controlling lead waste is putting the country's historic instruments in peril.
The stops could be pulled forever on many church organs because of an EU directive designed to control hazardous substances. The instruments at Salisbury Cathedral, St Paul’s in London, Worcester Cathedral, St Albans Abbey and Birmingham Town Hall are among the first that may be silenced. They are due to be refurbished or rebuilt and will fall foul of the directives, which are aimed at limiting the amount of lead in electrical items.
The regulations permit electrical equipment to have a maximum of 0.1 per cent of their weight as lead. Organ pipes have a lead content of 50 per cent or more and the Department of Trade and Industry has advised organ builders that, in the interests of directive harmony, they must "prepare to comply". Though pipe organs are essentially mechanical devices, they use electric motors to power the blowers that move air through the pipes.
The great Harrison and Harrison organ at the South Bank, which is now in pieces in Durham as part of the refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall, is under immediate threat. Under EU Directive 2002 95/EC RoHS and EU Directive 2002 96/EC WEEE, it will technically be illegal to reinstall it.
The Salisbury Cathedral organ, which is in pieces in Durham, where the console is being renovated, is also in danger of contravening the directive. Tim Hone, head of liturgy and music at the cathedral, said: "We were really looking forward to the return of our great Willis Harrison instrument. If this is delayed beyond July, we would could fall foul of the directive. We would have to use a piano in perpetuity."
The directive, which seeks to minimize the amount of "hazardous waste" that finds its way into landfill after electrical products are scrapped, would also bring to an end the 1,000-year-old craft of organ building. In Britain there are about 70 companies employing about 800 people, and all their jobs are at risk.
Only straightforward repairs of old instruments, doing nothing to change or modify the organ, would be allowed.
Tony Baldry, the Tory MP for Banbury, is urging the Government to intervene to save the organ. He has tabled an early day motion giving warning that the ban will have "a serious impact on England’s cultural and liturgical life and will mean an end to English organ building". He is calling on the Government to negotiate with the European Commission to find a way to protect traditional pipe organs.
Lead is used in organ pipes because of its malleability and the distinctive sound it produces. Organists are baffled that they have been caught up in EU red tape because when organs are rebuilt the lead is not thrown away. It is re-used in new or different pipes.
In a letter to organists nationwide, Katherine Venning, the president of the Institute of British Organ Building, said: "There is a very black cloud on the horizon. This is not a safety issue. Pipe makers live to a ripe old age, with no known damage to their health. The use of tin-lead alloy is essential. There is no known substitute that will give equivalent results. Pipe organs last indefinitely, and present no threat to the environment."
A spokeswoman for the DTI said that the directive did apply to organs and that Britain could not deviate from a "harmonised approach". She said: "The DTI has been working with the pipe organ industry for some time on this and is fully aware of the issue."
She said that exemptions from directives could be granted by the EU.
03/17/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,908 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
This was posted by Kevin King at the Theatreorgans-L List yesterday evening. We quote him below:
When I was young (a while back!) we were all very lucky to have Tom Hazleton as a resident in the San Francisco Bay Area. This was the "Golden Age" of organs in pizza parlors. In fact, throughout the 1970s (some came and went) there were a total of around 15 different pizza places/restaurants
in the greater Bay Area that had a Theatre Pipe Organ in them... Amazing!
It was great to be able to go to one of the most famous, "The Cap'ns Galley" Pizza & Pipes, in Redwood City (just south of San Francisco) to hear Tom play for the crowds. At one point I was lucky enough to be hired as one of the new organists for the "The Cap'ns Galley" "Pizza & Pipes" chain of 4 places. I was just an enthusiastic "kid" at that point, fresh out of high school.
The first time I played the organ there, I remember sitting down, hitting some combination pistons, (Tom's combinations of course) and thinking, "Wow. I sound just like Tom Hazleton." .....Don't I wish!! The registrations were his, but certainly not the
notes. Still, it was a thrill for a kid just starting out, to play that great organ, and have Tom's combinations to use. At least I sounded like I knew what stops to use.
As time went on, I got to know Tom (not just his combinations) and it was always fun to be around such a great musician and great person.
Kevin King
03/16/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,848 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
03/15/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,778 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
This was posted by Kim Crisler at the Theatreorgans-L List yesterday evening. We quote her below:
G. Thomas Hazleton 1942-2006
The first time I heard Tom live was in November 1986 at the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, Wisconsin. He then came to play a benefit concert for the 122-rank Kimball in the old Minneapolis Auditorium and Convention Center. Tom's last performance in the Twin Cities was at the World (now Fitzgerald) Theatre in conjunction with the Science Museum of Minnesota's exhibit on pipe organs. While we remember Tom for his awesome artistry at the console, away from it he was not above the people, but with them - or should I say us.
I remembered hanging out with Tom during a practice session at the Minneapolis Auditorium, during which a convention was going on. He was told by one of the Convention Center stuffed shirts that he couldn't play while this was going on. Well, he told her what stop to get off on (words are soooo explicit that I can't say - gotta keep our list clean!!!!) - HELLLLOOOO!
Among my prized vinyl albums, there is his recording made on the Alabama Theatre Wurlitzer (aka "Bertha") that is autographed that I continue to
treasure - a testimony to his amazing virtuosity. My prayers go out to his family and to those who had the opportunity to have been friends or
acqaintences with Tom. We'll miss you, Mr. H.
Kim
03/14/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,700 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
This evening, we had a major malfunction at the Walnut Hill Office of Operations. For some time now, we have been operating the Main Data Server without a primary chassis cooling fan. Since the office is air conditioned, we saw no problem with that. However, today the mercury rose to a high enough value to cause this huge computer to overheat.
Fortunately, we had procured a new 120mm fan a few days ago to replace the defective unit, but had not found the time to take the network offline to do repairs. But, a little while ago, the machine locked up. There was nothing left to do but shut down the entire network and replace the defective fan, which we did. Now, everything is moving along nicely and the server is operating within normal parameters once again.
In other news, our gracious hosts at Theatreorgans.com have been installing a newer faster line so that some bottlenecks could be relieved on their server. This issue is totally unrelated to the Walnut Hill Office Main Data Server. This has caused some major problems for some of our loyal visitors. In the days ahead, this new line should be tuned and all blocked IP's resolved.
If you continue to have problems logging into Walnut Hill, let me know via the Yahoo! group Walnut Hill VTPO and we will get on it to fix said issues. Thanks for your patience and loyal patronage.
03/13/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,694 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Tom Hazleton, Theatre Organ Master
Some rather shocking news was posted on the Theatreorgans.com Mailing list by Christian Elliott. We quote him below:
I regret to inform you that Tom Hazleton passed away today, very unexpectedly. I am sure more news will be forthcoming. May he rest in peace.
Christian Elliott
Having heard Tom Hazleton play at the 51st Annual 2005 ATOS Convention, I can tell you that the Land of the King now has a gaping hole in it where Tom once stood, truly a modern master of the Theatre Pipe Organ. God Speed, Sir Tom. You will be missed and always remembered, not only for your kindness, but your artistry second to none.
03/12/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,614 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Simon Gledhill at the console of the
J. Tyson Forker Memorial 4/32 Mighty WurliTzer
Today, Simon Gledhill gave a stunning performance at the console of the J. Tyson Forker Memorial 4/32 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ installed at Grace Baptist Church in Sarasota, Florida.
There were over 600 happy fans in attendance at the concert, which featured a wide variety of songs that really showed off the capabilities of this fantastic instrument. Simon played two sets of great music and the concert was very well received by all. We look eagerly forward to his next performance because he stated at the end of the show that he would definately be back again.
Chaz Bender, fellow Walnut Hill VTPO member and owner of the Theatre Pipe Organs website had this to report and we quote hime below:
Simon Gledhill In Concert
Sunday March 12, 2006
Brought to you by the Manasota Theatre Organ Society
at Grace Baptist Church in Sarasota, Florida
At three in the afternoon, Mr. Gledhill took control of the MTOS Chapter's J. Tyson Forker Memorial 4/32 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ. The music Simon brought forth awed everyone in the room, and I understand there were about 600 of us. He is a "World Class Organist Playing A World Class Organ". When Simon spoke to the audience at the start of the program, he immediately endeared himself with his charming personality and marvelous British accent. Someone said that hearing him speak made the visit a success even if he had not played. But play he did.
Mr. Gledhill opened the program with familiar music from Hello Dolly and continued with selections from Eric Coates. Sketch of a Dandy by Hayden Wood was followed by Be My Love as sung by Lanza. Rodgers and Hart songs were next, including You Took Advantage of Me, Have You Met Miss Jones, and a most beautiful arrangement of My Romance. Simon also performed music from Guys and Dolls, a great Noel Coward tune from Bittersweet called If Love Were All. When he began to play a high spirited medley of songs from Duke Ellington including I'm Beginning To See the Light and Take the "A" Train, I thought the audience would get up and dance. Simon also played the Clive Richardson work, Melody On the Move. But the best was yet to come.
It requires a marvelously talented organist to get all from a truly marvelous organ. In 1996, the MTOS found a WurliTzer theatre pipe organ in a warehouse in Miami, Florida. The instrument was originally installed in the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1927. On a couple of hot August weekends, members convoyed to Miami with a rental truck and removed the organ, piece by piece and hauled it back to a warehouse in Sarasota. The organ was completely disassembled and rebuilt by MTOS members.
The organ was expanded to 32 ranks. The church would use the instrument for their services and for classical and religious concerts, while MTOS members would hold meetings there and would present theatre organ concerts. Provision was made for practice time for members.
With Allen Miller's tonal design, the organ has turned out to be a world-class instrument!
After nearly two hours of thrilling the audience with superb music, lightning fast fingering and a tonal palate so beautiful, Mr. Gledhill concluded with the Overture from Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka. To perform this masterpiece requires dexterity very few possess. When Simon finished, he naturally received a standing ovation. After an encore and another standing ovation we baid Mr. Gledhill good-bye until his next visit. Thank you Simon, you leave Sarasota with many new friendships.
Reported by Chaz Bender
Background information courtesy of the Manasota Theatre Organ Society.
Cheers!
Chaz
03/11/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,552 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Kimmy and Doc Celebrate Third Anniversary!
The Bone Doctor at the console of the J. Tyson Forker Memorial 4/32 Mighty WurliTzer
Theatre Pipe Organ installed at Grace Baptist Church in Sarasota, Florida.
Kimmy and Doc are celebrating their third spiritual wedding anniversary today. After three years, Kimmy has grown to love the King of Instruments, having not liked them much when her and Doc first met in 2003.
As part of the day's events, they made a trip south to Saint Petersburg to visit Richard "Kent" Allman of Allman Music to play his massive Mighty MidiTzer installation and see his garden scale model railroad. They returned with some new pictures to look at that will get posted sometime Sunday night after the Simon gledhill Concert at Grace Baptist Church. Stay tuned...
03/10/2006
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I want to thank the 19,468 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
We have added three songs to the Featured Organ of the Month for March 2006. These numbers were recorded after the instrument was installed at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Bristol, Tennessee.
You will need Windows Media Player 10 to listen to these high quality remastered recordings, presented in WMA format at 128KB/sec.
Enjoy!
03/09/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,400 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Recovery Day
Today was a recovery day for the Doc as he tended to the many wounds received during the biking mishap from yesterday. Although nothing was broken, he suffered a severe sprained left knee and several bruises on his ankles, shins and left hip. Nothing that ace bandages and aspirin along with plenty of rest could not cure.
Toward the afternoon, he was well enough to get back on his trusty steed and head off to the store for household supplies. After a three mile round trip, he was no worse for wear and all is well with the world.
03/08/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,367 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Of Bikes And Cars
As those who read the Gazette on a regular basis know, my dearest Kimmy received a bicycle as part of her birthday/anniversary giftage. Today, I rode out to the local Wal-Mart to pick her up a bigger saddle to replace the rather small one originally fitted to the bike.
On the way home with my booty, I was passing by a car wash where a car was waiting to pull out. As I got halfway past this car, the driver decided it was time to make his move. He promptly ran me over, knocking me and my bike down and pinning me under the front of his car. As I shouted, he stopped and backed up. He proceded to stop his engine and get out to survey the damage.
Slowly, I got up, and looked at my bike and myself. The front wheel of my bike was destroyed. My left sock had a rather large hole torn in it and my left ankle had a nice road rash. My left knee was sprained from being pinned between the frame of my bike and his front bumper which had a long scratch in the rubber where my handle bar, now bent ninety degrees to the right, had tried to mate with it. My right shin was gurred pretty good, too. Had I not been wearing my helmet and rider's gloves, I would have been hospitalized, possibly killed.
The driver called the police, who promptly arrived on the scene along with the paramedics. After looking me over, it was decided I did not need to go to the hospital. However, my bike was not ridable. The police wanted to know if I wanted to press charges. I declined, but I stated that since my bike was my only means of transportaion about town, it would have to be repaired immediately. So, the driver took me and my bike to a local bike shop wherein they replaced my front wheel and a bottle holder where my headlight battery goes. The damage was around eighty dollars, which the driver paid.
After my bike was fixed, he took me home. It was obvious that his heart was heavy as a result of the accident. Kimmy was quite upset to find out I had nearly been killed. She was standing on the porch with tears rolling down her face as we pulled up. The driver left and I proceded to reassemble my bike. A few hours after the driver left and we were sitting around waiting on the weber grill, the pain sat in. I took some aspirin and Aleve, and the pain began to subside. I knew the next morning would bring a sore time for my beat up body, which it did, indeed.
The moral of this story has several parts. Always wear a helmet and gloves when riding a bike. Ride like nobody can see you, even if they are looking straight at you. If you drive an automobile, leave your cell phone turned off while driving, especially when negotiating intersections. Look both ways before pulling out. Look twice just to be sure. Pay attention! Finally, if you try to battle a bike against a car, the car wins every time.
I must thank Father God. He saw fit to allow me to walk away relatively unscathed. Praise the Lord. Halalujia!
03/07/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,298 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
The keydesk of the Mighty Kimball/WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ
installed at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Bristol, Tennessee.
Our Featured Organ for the Month of March 2006 is the 3/11 Mighty Kimball/WurliTzer installed at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Bristol, Tennessee. The instrument is under the care of the Piedmont Theater Organ Society, a proud chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society.
PTOS owns the Theatre Pipe Organs located in the Paramount Center for the Arts, The Carolina Civic Center and the Walter Williams High School. It also maintains, under contract, the instruments at the Abernethy Residence and the Carolina Theatre.
03/06/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,251 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Kimmy Gets A Bike!
Kimmy's Florida Cruiser
Kimmy got a bicycle today. In Florida, biking is one of the best ways to get around. For the longest time, Doc has had one, and now that Kimmy has one, too, they will be able to explore the city of Clearwater together.
Finding her a good bike was relatively easy, as the pawn shops are full of used machines. The one we found had hardly been ridden, its tires still having the little moulding stems all over the treads. We outfitted it witl baskets so that Kimmy could carry lots of stuff like beach goodies, etc.
03/05/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,231 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
MidiTzer Downloads Booming!
According to Joe Barron, Webmaster for VirtualOrgan.com and home of the Mighty MidiTzer, the program has more users than the total number of Theatre Pipe Organs ever manufactured!
Although this comes as no surprise to us here at Walnut Hill, it is no trivial accomplishment to say the least. Who would have thought that back in 2003 when the MidiTzer was new would there have been so much positive reaction to this great piece of software? I am certain that Jim Henry and Crew Glasjev, creators of the MidiTzer, are very pleased indeed.
Not one to rest upon his laurels, Jim has informed us that he is forging ahead with the first official release of the MidiTzer 3MSP 3/19 Style 260 Special Edition, the original Style 216 2/10's big brother. Also, he is working with the publishers of the American Theatre Organ Society's Theatre Organ Journal to publish a special issue of the magazine to be released in July/August that will include a cover story on the Mighty WurliTzer Style 216 2/10 Theatre Pipe Organ with an included CD containing the MidiTzer Style 216 and 3MSP Style 260 Editions along with audio tracks so you can not only play, but also listen to what promises to be the next big thing in the Land of the King. Stay tuned as the story unfolds...
03/04/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,197 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Gerhard Klechowitz at the Mighty WurliTzer installed at the
Avalon Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Today, fellow Walnut Hill Wall of Fame member Gerhard Kletchowitz submitted a new song he recorded on the Mighty MidiTzer Style 216 Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ entitled What's New? for your listening enjoyment. To hear this new track, click here and scroll down to his MidiTzer Music track list.
Enjoy!
03/03/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,177 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Reported by Russ Ashworth, WHOC Officer
The Mighty WurliTzer Style 216 2/10 Theatre Pipe Organ
Colorized image provided by Fred Willis,
Founding Father of Walnut Hill Productions
I think that most of you are members of the Rialto WurliTzer group on Yahoo!, but in case you aren't, Bob Loech has just posted this. I quote Bob below:
"Hello Rialto-Lovers. It is my distinct pleasure to inform you that the console of the Mighty WurliTzer Style 216 2/10 Opus 1142 Theatre Pipe Organ will be going back to the Southland next month (April). I don't know any details at this time, but I can say that the console has been sold to Marinel Robinson. I cannot add anything to that, save that she wants to see it back in the Rialto Theatre.
I must thank Jim Henry for helping to put this deal together, and Marinel for making it possible. Thanks to both of you! I would also like to express my gratitude at being allowed to be the caretaker of this historic console.
Regards,
Bob, FORMER owner of Opus 1142...
;-)"
03/02/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,116 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Today, a new website went up called Organ Musicians. This site is for those who play the organ. You can create your own page and share your original MP3 recordings and sheet music.
Membership is free, so join now by clicking here.
MidiTzer Version 0.60 Released!
MidiTzer Version 0.60 includes a number of features adopted from the development of the forthcoming MidiTzer 3/19 Style 260SP. An Accompaniment to Pedal coupler eases registration tasks for left hand plus pedal accompaniment patterns. Divisional cancels aid in registration. The toys can now be activated by computer keys R to O. The display automatically adjusts to fit 800x600, 1024x768, and 1280x1024 display resolutions. Update stop tab graphic make it easier to tell which stops are on. Bank select is now supported for the loading of SoundFonts in FluidSynth.
Download your copy from the www.VirtualOrgan.com website today!
03/01/2006
Greetings from the Bone Doctor.
I want to thank the 19,082 visitors to our site this year. God bless all who come here.
Theatre Pipe Organ Concert To Feature
Music Performed By
Superb British Organist Simon Gledhill
Award winning theatre organist Simon Gledhill will present a fast-paced program featuring popular music by many of America's best loved twentieth century composers. Gledhill will play the historic J. Tyson Forker Memorial 4/32 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ installed in Sarasota's Grace Baptist Church.
Simon Gledhill quickly rose to stardom, becoming an international hit. When you hear him, you will know why. Incorporating the stage presence of a Hollywood star with an obvious passion for harmony, rhythm, musical texture and a gift for choosing music that people truly want to hear, this amazing young talent earns standing ovations from audiences wherever he appears.
The concert is presented by the non-profit Manasota Theatre Organ Society which owns the large four-keyboard pipe organ at Grace Baptist Church. The restored instrument, with more than 2,000 pipes, is a sonic and mechanical wonder that is valued at nearly $1 million. Theatre Pipe Organs were essentials to theatres during the era of silent-films and vaudeville. Complete with pianos, xylophones, drums, whistles and more, they replicated the sound of a full symphony orchestra.
The concert is set for Sunday, March 12th at 3:00 PM at Grace Baptist Church, 8000 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, Florida, located 2 and 1/2 miles east of I-75 (exit 207). Tickets are $12 at the door. For additional information, call 1-941-922-2044, or visit the Manisota Theatre Organ Society on the internet at www.mtos.us
Russ Ashworth Plays the Mighty WurliTzer!
Russ Ashworth at the console of the Mighty WurliTzer
Russ Ashworth, fellow WHOC Officer and member of Walnut Hill VTPO on Yahoo! Music Groups posted this on the group today. We quote him below:
Hi all.
Today, a dream came true and I played my first WurliTzer. In fact, my first Theatre Pipe Organ of any sort! Thanks to MidiTzer, I was ready.
As I mentioned a few days ago, I was hoping to get to play the Mighty WurliTzer 260SP Opus 1657 that was removed from the Capitol Theatre here in
Vancouver in 1965 when it was rebuilt as a Multiplex. It has been installed in someone's basement since then, and although it has a few missing notes and is surrounded by stuff, it is playable.
It was really interesting that I didn't have any nasty surprises and found my way 'round the console without any problems. All the stops were just where I expected them to be and worked the way I expected them to. The registrations turned out about what I expected. I can now say from experience that Bruce Miles' SoundFonts sound pretty realistic, apart from the lack of the sound of the rushing mighty wind through the opened swell shutters. This console is about six feet away from the shutters. The thud of the stop tabs when I pressed the first Combo button really made me jump, too. I wasn't expecting that. I can manage without either of those sounds though. It is a bit like the mouse click on a computer.
I mostly hand registered it and improvised a few chords and melodies to see what it sounded like, and it sounded like I had expected. I even knew
enough about WurliTzers to know that this one didn't have a Unison Off on the Great.
I liked the feel of the manuals and found them and the pedals easier to play than the Classic Organ ones that we used for the MidiTzer demo at the 51st Annual ATOS Convention of 2005. Maybe I have had more practice since then. I tried the Second Touch and I like the Solo to Great Second Touch coupler. Second Touch didn't seem like it would be too difficult to get the hang of, and is on my shopping list if I get some more keyboards, proper Second Touch. I guess that I won't be buying new keyboards for a while then. :)
The owner of the instrument had some music on the stand. Wow, that is a long way up! So, I found a few things to play and felt very comfortable playing that Mighty WurliTzer. Everything seemed easy to get at and I really wasn't as overwhelmed by it as I thought I might have been. Jim Henry and MidiTzer have
taught me well. This is for real, this is not an excercise. :)
I have got great respect for those old instruments now and am amazed at how comfortable everything seemed. I guess I spent fourty-five minutes playing with it and another thirty minutes playing on it. I wish that I could have spent longer and had spent time comparing the relative volumes of the ranks. I don't think that I am too far off though and who is to say that this WurliTzer is right anyway. One day maybe I will be able to do it again.
Thanks to Jim Henry and Bruce Miles who made all this possible
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