American Theatre Organ Society

From an article by David H. Hayes in the Summer 1963 issue of Theatre Organ

The organ at the Regal, Marble Arch, is to my mind, one of the most characteristic creations of that great artist, Herbert Norman, and as such it commands the respect and admiration of all organ lovers. The Regal is not a large theatre, and its interior decoration scheme is of an intimate and delicate character: hence the organ partakes of the same nature and blends perfectly with the beauty of its surroundings.

Being an unique and individual work of art, built and designed to secure perfection, regardless of expense, it has little in common with the ordinary 'mass production' type of cinema organ, and is a shining example of what can be done when an organ builder is given a free hand and allowed to express his individuality without being unduly hampered by commercial restrictions.

The above words form the opinion of the late Quentin M. Maclean, who drew up the original specifications with Mr. Norman of Messrs. Wm. Hill & Norman and Beard Ltd., well known British firms of straight organ builders and of Christie Unit Organs. Also included in these consultations was the late Arthur Meale, who at that time was one of the most famous recitalists in the country, and official organist at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. His nephew and theatre organist Neville Meale has some of the original correspondence relevant to the specification and costing of this organ.

The instrument was installed just in time for the opening of the cinema in November 1928. This was the same year and month as the opening of the first four-manual Wurlitzer in Britain at The Empire Theatre in Leicester Square (now demolished, but the organ was saved by Theatre Organ Club member Len Rawle).

Behind scenes at most official openings there is usually an atmosphere of panic, and so it was at the Regal. The builders got so far behind schedule that they had to work overtime with extra shifts. This in turn put everyone else behind -- the electricians, the furnishers, the decorators, not to mention the organ builders.

The chambers were extremely small, considering the size of the organ, and one had to be quite a contortionist to move around in them. This did not help in trying to maintain the installation in the tall, narrow chambers with pipes stacked in three tiers.

Towards the end, the noise of the various workmen made it virtually impossible to tune the organ during the daytime, so it was decided to tune at night. But adjacent to the new cinema was a men's hostel run by a religious organization that filed a complaint in court to secure an injunction prohibiting the tuning or playing of the organ from about 11 p.m. at night until sunrise.

Nonetheless, the organ was ready for the grand opening of the theatre, and Quentin Maclean was the Regal's first resident organist. At this time the big scenery dock shutters were open almost continuously. The anti-noise injunction still remained, and it was not only because of the pre-opening noises, but because of Maclean's midnight recording sessions. Strangely, the complaints were mainly against the blower, and not the organ itself.

The console is on its own lift in the center of the orchestra pit, and the organ is in two chambers both on the right side of the stage. The swell shades open towards the stage to reflect the sound from the screen to provide the ideal silent film accompaniments for which this instrument was designed. This accounts for the large number of softer stops.

On the opposite side is a chamber which houses a costly carillon of 32 cast tower bells played from the organ console, operated by special pneumatic motors.

The original plan was to have the carillon in the roof, presumably not playable from the console, but eventually the bells were hung inside from the main girders of the building. This worked until 1947 when it was decided (of all criminal things) to amplify the organ from that grille opening. The swell shutters were used for mounting the loudspeakers, and a few bells were unhung. The carillon remains in place, however.

In comparison with many American theatres, the 2000-seat Regal is not considered very large. Contrary to expectations, full organ is exciting but not in any way overpowering.

The 30 registers (36 ranks) are housed in two chambers. Chamber "A" contains the Diapason Phonon, Open Diapason, Hohl Flute, Tibia Clausa, Gedeckt, Strings (2 ranks), Viole, Viole d'Orchestre, Viole d'Amour, Saxophone, Vox Humana, Tuba Horn, Fanfare Trumpet, and Ophicleide.

Chamber "B" houses the Diaphone Horn, Gemshorn, Diapason, Orchestral Flute, Tibia Minor, Violins (2 ranks) Muted Strings (2 ranks), Clarinet, Violincello, Salicional, Quintadena, Musette, Orchestral Oboe, Oboe Horn, Tuba Sonora, Trumpet, and four-rank Cornet de Violes.

Chamber "A" contains about 1000 pipes, and "B" about 1500, as well as a very full range of percussions -- Cathedral Chimes, Muted Chimes, Tubular Chimes, Sleigh Bells, Xylophone, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Orchestral Bells, Harp, and a full array of drums, cymbals and sound effects. There was an upright piano in the pit which has since disappeared.

Since many of the ranks extended to 16', and with all the percussions and effects, there was very little speaking room for the pipes. Later, out came the sound effects, including a realistic 'crockery crash' and a 'thunder' sheet. Various chests were moved forward and the Diapason Phonon 8' was rewired to the piano stop keys, giving an extra Diapason chorus at 16', 8', 4', 2'.

This is a magnificent cinema organ with many unexpected tone colors that enable classic organ literature and orchestral music to be faithfully rendered. For a cinema organ, the pedal is particularly impressive with 13 stops at 16' pitch. Wind pressures vary from 5" to 25".

The ornate console has some 250 stop tabs. There are 16 couplers, 31 second touch facilities, 40 double touch pistons, 10 tremulants, 38 stops for percussion control, 21 percussion stops, 26 effects stops, and cancel bars for each section, a feature of Christie organs. The four manuals are designated Accompaniment, Great, Orchestral, and Solo. There are Swell shoes for each chamber and a balanced general crescendo pedal with indicator. This must be one of the few theatre organs that has 40 pedal pistons -- meaning that 40 different pedal combinations can be set for the second touch of the 40 thumb pistons.

The Regal Marble Arch organ was removed from the theatre in 1964. In 2002, the organ remains in storage under very poor conditions. It is unlikely this magnificent instrument will ever play again.