Featured Organ For January 2005

Click here to return to the Featured Organ of the Month main page. Scroll down to learn about and see a true American classic, the 4/28 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ installed at Shea's Center for the Performing Arts, Buffalo, Illinois!

Shea's Buffalo 4/28 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ

The main entrance of the Shea's Buffalo Performing Arts Center

The console of the magnificent Shea's Buffalo Theatre 4/28 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ

The eighth organ to be featured here is the Shea's Buffalo Performing Arts Center 4/28 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ. It is one of the largest and finest instruments in the United States and reflects a close relationship that Michael Shea had with Farny Wurlitzer at the Rudolph WurliTzer Company in Tanawanda, New York.

It is known that the design of the Buffalo Performing Arts Center's instrument was greatly influenced by Michael Shea's visit to the Uptown Theatre in Chicago when it was first built. Shea, upon hearing the Uptown Theatre's Mighty WurliTzer, is said to have told Farny that he wanted the same organ - with lots of strings. The Buffalo organ did, in fact turn out to be an identical sister to the Uptown organ. Not only were the ranks the same, the original chest layouts were also identical.

While both organs were called "Style 285 Specials", they were quite different from the normal Style 285 in that neither had an Echo division.

This beautiful organ contains three ranks of Tibias, seven ranks of Strings and ten ranks extended to 16' pitch. The Solo Vox Humana is of unusually large scale with domed tops (pipes wearing hats) and is voiced on 10" of wind.

Featured Recordings

Shea’s Buffalo Theatre 4/28 Mighty WurliTzer Stop List
4-manual console controlling 28 ranks of pipes
Buffalo Performing Arts Center, 646 Main Street, Buffalo, New York 14202 - Phone 1(716)847-0850

Pedal	Accomp	Great	Bombarde	Solo
32’ Diaphone 32’ Resultant 16’ English Horn 16’ Bombarde 16’ Diaphone 16’ Tuba Profunda 16’ Tibia Plena 16’ Tibia Clausa 16’ Diaphonic Horn 16’ Clarinet 16’ Solo String 16’ Bourdon 8’ English Horn 8’ Tuba Mirabilis 8’ Tuba Horn 8’ Diaph. Diapason 8’ Open Diapason 8’ Horn Diapason 8’ Tibia Plena 8’ Tibia Clausa 8’ Clarinet 8’ Solo String 8’ Oboe Horn 8’ Flute 16’ Piano 8’ Piano Acc to Pedal 8’ Great to Pedal 8’ Great to Pedal 4’ Solo to Pedal 8’ Pedal Traps Tuned Timpani Bass Drum Snare Drum Crash Cymbal Jazz Cymbal Ride Cymbal Pedal Second Touch 32’ Diaphone 16’ English Horn 16’ Bombarde Bass Drum Crash Cymbal Ride Cymbal Reit Solo to Pedal	8’ English Horn 8’ Tuba Mirabilis 8’ Trumpet 8’ Tuba Horn 8’ Diaph. Diapason 8’ Open Diapason 8’ Tibia Clausa 8’ Oboe Horn 8’ Horn Diapason 8’ Gamba 8’ Gamba Celeste 8’ Saxophone 8’ Clarinet 8’ Solo String 8’ Viol D’Orchestre 8’ Viol Celeste 8’ Oboe Horn 8’ Salicional 8’ Voix Celeste 8’ Quintadena 8’ Concert Flute 8’ Vox Humana 8’ Vox Humana 4’ Piccolo 4’ Octave Horn 4’ Gambinette 4’ Gambinette Celeste 4’ Viol 4’ Octave Celeste 4’ Quintadena 4’ Salicet 4’ Flute 4’ Vox Humana 2 2/3’ Twelfth 2’ Piccolo 8’ Piano Harp Sub Harp Chrysoglott Acc to Acc 4’ Solo to Acc 8’ Accompaniment Traps Snare Drum Castanets Tambourine Chinese Block Jazz Cymbal Traps Select Accomp Second Touch 8’ English Horn 8’ Tuba Mirabilis 8’ Trumpet 8’ Tuba Horn 8’ Diaph. Diapason 8’ Open Diapason 8’ Tibia Clausa 8’ Clarinet 4’ Piccolo 2’ Piccolo 8’ Piano Harp Sub Harp Glock. Octave Cathedral Chimes Traps Great Octave Solo to Accomp	16’ English Horn 16’ Tuba Mirabilis 16’ Trumpet 16’ Tibia Plena 16’ Tibia Clausa 16’ Tib Clausa(ten c) 16’ Orch.Oboe(ten c) 16’ String Enseble 16’ Saxophone 16’ Clarinet 16’ Krumet 16’ Bourdon 16’ Vox Humana 16’ Vox Humana 8’ English Horn 8’ Tuba Mirabilis 8’ Trumpet 8’ Tuba Horn 8’ Diaph Diapason 8’ Open Diapason 8’ Tibia Plena 8’ Tibia Clausa 8’ Tibia Clausa 8’ Orchestral Oboe 8’ Kinura 8’ Solo String 8’ Horn Diapason 8’ Gamba 8’ Saxophone 8’ Clarinet 8’ Viol D’Orchestre 8’ Krumet 8’ Oboe Horn 8’ Salicional 8’ Quintadena 8’ Concert Flute 8’ Vox Humana 8’ Vox Humana 5 1/3 Tibia Clausa 4’ Tibia Plena 4’ Piccolo 4’ Piccolo 4’ Octave 4’ Gambinette 4’ Viol 4’ Flute 2 2/3’ Twelfth(Tibia) 2 2/3’ Twelfth(Tibia) 2 2/3’ Twelfth 2’ Piccolo (Tibia) 2’ Piccolo (Tibia) 2’ Piccolo 2’ Fifteenth 1 1/3’ Tierce 1’ Fife 8’ Piano Harp Xylophone Glockenspiel Chrysoglott Great to Great 16’ Great Unison Off Great to Great 4’ Solo to Great 16’ Solo to Great 8’ Great Second Touch 16’ English Horn 8’ English Horn 8’ Tuba Mirabilis Solo to Great Solo to Great Pizz	16’ English Horn 16’ Bombarde 16’ Tuba Profunda 16’ Trumpet 16’ Diaphone 16’ Tibia Clausa 16’ String Ensmble 16’ Orch.Oboe(ten c) 16’ Saxophone(ten c) 16’ Clarinet 16’ Vox Hum.(ten c) 8’ English Horn 8’ Tuba Mirabilis 8’ Tuba Horn 8’ Trumpet 8’ Tibia Clausa 8’ String Ensemble 8’ Saxophone 8’ Vox Humana 5 1/3’ Tibia Clausa 4’ Piccolo 4’ String Ensemble 2 2/3’ Twelfth(Tibia) 2’ Piccolo 2’ Viols 1’ Fife (Tibia) 8’ Piano Xylophone Glockenspiel Bomb to Bomb 4’ Great to Bomb 8’ Great to Bomb 4’ Solo to Bomb 8’ Bombarde Tibia Plena On Found. Tibia On Solo Tibia On Solo to Bomb Pizz	16’ English Horn 8’ English Horn 8’ Tuba Mirabilis 8’ Trumpet 8’ Tuba Horn 8’ Tibia Clausa 8’ Tibia Clausa 8’ String Ensemble 8’ Saxophone 8’ Krumet 8’ Quintadena 8’ Vox Humana 4’ Tibia Plena 4’ Piccolo 4’ Piccolo 4’ Harmonic Flute 4’ Vox Humana 2 2/3’ Twelfth(Tibia) 2’ Piccolo (Tibia) 1 3/5’ Tierce (Tibia) 1 1/3’ Larigot(Tibia) 8’ Piano Harp Sub Xylophone Glockenspiel Chrysoglott Cathedral Chimes Solo to Solo 16’ Solo Unison Off Solo to Solo 4’
Tremulants	General	Right Cntrl. Box	Left Junk Drwr.	Lift Cntrl.
Main I Main II Main III Foundation Tibias Voxes Tubas Solo I Solo II Solo III English Horn	String Celeste Off Accomp Sost Great Sost	Shades (Dual/Master) Blower (On/Off) Select Acc. Traps Shuffle Sleigh Bells Tom Tom Triangle Brush Cymbal Piano FFF Re-it Marimba Glock-Xylo Sub Coupling Pedal Divide Transposer	Gong Bell Horse Police Loc Bell Loc Whistle Siren Bird I Bird II Surf Auto Ch Gong	Stop Bottom Picture Top

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