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Theatre Organ buffs have long recognized that the basic theatre organ has at least one rank representing each of the six tone colors required to provide good combination possibilities:
Crawford Special, (Opus 2170), Manchester, England
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- Diapason
- Flute
- Tibia
- String
- Brass Reed
- Color Reed
The Wurlitzer Style D is just such an organ. Most organs larger than this provide additional ranks that still fall within the six tonal divisions.
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- Style E adds a second string rank, a Celeste
- Style F adds to this a second reed, the Clarinet
- Style 235 of 11 ranks adds another string, and two additional color reeds: Orchestral Oboe and Kinura
An early Crawford Special (Opus 1783) shipped from the factory in 1927 to the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham. The console is of French design with a Moroccan motif. Organist is Stan Mallotte.
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Wurlitzer (as well as other manufacturers) built their tonal structure on these six basic tone colors. Even the renowned four-manual 36-rank Wurlitzers, of which five were built, were designed on this principal.
For many years these remarkable instruments, the first of which (Opus #1458) was installed in the New York Times Square Paramount Theatre, have been popularly referred to as the "Crawford Special." This is undoubtedly due to the fact that this renowned organist reached the apex of his career while playing this instrument.
One of the really great opportunities to establish facts regarding the "Crawford Special" were conversations with Jesse Crawford during the final years of his life.
Q. Jesse, did you design the New York Paramount Theatre 4/36 organ?
- Jesse Crawford: No, I did not. I specified only that the organ was to include certain ranks: the three Tibia Clausa, certain of the string and diapason ranks, and the four Vox Humana.
Q. Do you know who designed it?
- Jesse Crawford: No, someone at the Wurlitzer factory made up the specifications. Contrary to common belief, I did not specify that the organ was to have such ranks as the Musette, French Horn, Dulciana, and some of the other ranks that were included. These ranks -- the entire stoplist as a matter of fact -- would have been hard to improve upon. The final result was very satisfying to me. I enjoyed playing the organ as it included the ranks I did specify as well as the many others that the factory put on the organ.
Q. Did you actually design any of the Wurlitzer organs?
(His reply came as a surprise. It established which of the Wurlitzer organs was the real "Crawford Special.")
- Jesse Crawford: Yes, I designed the Publix #1 organ at the request of the theatre chain. They wanted an organ design that would be suitable for their deluxe houses soon to be built. It was several years before they became known as the Publix #1 organs, the first being simply noted as a four-manual, 20-rank special model. They specified that it must be a four manual organ for prestige, and that the cost must be kept down. The result was the organ as we know it today: 20 ranks which included two Tibia Clausa, two Vox Humana, and a Brass Saxophone and Brass Trumpet, as well as the other more or less standard ranks found on the three-manual, 15-rank organs which were the largest standard models built in volume up to that time. [Note: Crawford was referring to the Wurlitzer Style 260.]
Q. Why did you not include the English Post Horn, which seems to be the only important rank missing from the design of an organ this size?
- Jesse Crawford: To protect the patrons from the organist! The English Post Horn has a definite musical place in theatre organ playing, but it is grossly abused by most organists who do not know when not to use it.
FACTORY SHIPPING LIST
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OPUS
|
STYLE
|
THEATRE
|
LOCATION
|
SHIPPED
|
| 1123 |
Publix #1 |
Capitol |
Detroit, MI |
8/4/25 |
| 1148 |
Publix #1 |
Palms State |
Detroit, MI |
9/2/25 |
| 1262 |
Publix #1 |
Masonic Temple (Oriental) |
Chicago, IL |
1/29/26 |
| 1267 |
Publix #1 |
Tower |
Chicago, IL |
2/6/26 |
| 1275 |
Publix #1 |
Belmont |
Chicago, IL |
2/20/26 |
| 1295 |
Publix #1 |
Congress |
Chicago, IL |
3/18/26 |
| 1315 |
Publix #1 |
Granada |
Chicago, IL |
4/12/26 |
| 1783 |
Publix #1 |
Alabama |
Birmingham, AL |
11/11/27 |
| 1819 |
Publix #1 |
Paramount |
Seattle, WA |
12/23/27 |
| 1831 |
Publix #1 |
Publix |
Portland, OR |
1/25/28 |
| 1848 |
Publix #1 |
Minnesota |
Minneapolis, MN |
2/24/28 |
| 2006 |
Publix #1 |
Publix |
Toledo, OH |
12/18/28 |
| 2120 |
Publix #1 |
Paramount |
Manchester, England |
7/14/30 |
| 2122 |
Publix #1 |
Paramount |
Denver, CO |
7/23/30 |
| 2125 |
Publix #1 |
Palace |
Dallas, TX |
8/16/30 |
| 2164 |
Publix #1 |
Paramount |
Oakland, CA |
7/28/31 |
(Note: Opus 2120, shipped to Manchester, was shipped as a standard Publix #1. According to Frank Hare of the English publication, Theatre Organ Review, the specifications of this instrument were changed at the request of the organist Charles Saxby about 1947 or 1948. At that time, the Solo Vox Humana was replaced by an English Horn built by the British pipemaker, F. J. Rogers, Ltd. The necessary change on the stop tablet resulted in the removal of all of the stop tablets which were ground down and re-engraved. Thus the very non-standard appearance of the console.)
Opus 1848, shipped to the Minnesota Theatre in Minneapolis in 1928. This is one of two Roman style consoles built, the other going to the Toledo, Ohio, Paramount.
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The Oriental Theatre organ #1262, Chicago, Illinois, which was shipped on 1/29/26 and built to this specification, was probably one of the first ornate consoles built by the Wurlitzer Company. It appears to be a scroll console, but has the dashboard type illumination. As so often seems to be the case with Wurlitzer specifications, not all of these organs followed the original 20-rank design.
Many of the elaborate French, Roman, Modernistic, and other specially designed consoles were supplied with these organs. Although there are no records available to substantiate the information, it is reliably reported that these "$100,000 Mighty Wurlitzers" sold on a special contractual arrangement for far less than the reported $50,000 retail price for a Style 270 in 1927. Abrogation was attempted by several of the theatres on the contracts for the last few organs delivered in the United States, due to the introduction of the "talkies," but all organs contracted for were delivered.
The specifications were strangely different on the various opus numbers, some having Tibia Twelfths and Tibia Piccolos (2'), others without this unification. So far as is known, all of them omitted the Oboe Horn and Quintadena from the Great manual, but included it on the Solo. Some of the last built included the Chrysoglott Vibraharp and damper attachments, with six short stops added on a second row above the usual straight single bolster front board that prevailed on the others. Most included 10 pistons for each manual, with 10 for the pedal stops placed under the Accompaniment keys to the left of the manual pistons. Second touch was included to provide master pistons and pedal masters. There were usually two chambers, with some percussions located in unenclosed positions in front of the chambers. (This feature varied greatly in various installations; some had all percussions enclosed.)
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Main Chamber
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16' - 4'
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Diaphonic Diapason (Wooden Diaphones 16' Octave) |
15" |
|
16' - 4'
|
Tuba Horn (Ophicleide) |
15" |
|
8' - 4'
|
Tibia Clausa (Large Scale) |
15" |
|
8'
|
Clarinet |
10" |
|
8'
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Vox Humana |
6" |
|
8' - 4'
|
Viol d'Orchestre |
10" |
|
8' - 4'
|
Viol Celeste |
10" |
|
8'
|
Solo String |
10" |
|
8'
|
Dulciana |
10" |
|
16' - 2'
|
Bourdon - Flute |
10" |
|
Solo Chamber
|
| 8' - 4' |
Tuba Mirabilis |
15" |
| 16' - 2' |
Tibia Clausa (Large Scale) |
15" |
| 8' |
Vox Humana (2" Diameter Low C) |
10" |
| 8' |
Kinura |
10" |
| 8' |
Solo String |
10" |
| 8' |
Orchestral Oboe |
10" |
| 8' |
Oboe Horn |
10" |
| 8' |
Quintadena |
10" |
| 8' |
Brass Saxophone |
10" |
| 8' |
Brass Trumpet |
10" |
The percussions almost always included a Piano, Marimba, Master Xylophone, standard Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Chrysoglott, Cathedral Chimes (24 note), and the usual toy shelf and traps.
Opus 2170, a French design console, was shipped from the Wurlitzer Organ Company to the Odeon (Paramount) Theatre in Manchester, England in 1930.
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The last Publix #1 (Opus 2164) built for a theatre in the United States was shipped to the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California in 1931.
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It is to be regretted that these Crawford Specials had such limited use, due to their relatively late arrival on the scene. They were produced over a short six-year span, but some are still in playing condition. Ornate, tonally complete, large and prestigious, they were a credit to the Wurlitzer name, proof of the Crawford artistry, and worthy of the theatre marquees that announced "The $100,000 Mighty Wurlitzer Organ."
Copyright © 1969, 2002 The American Theatre Organ Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
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