History of the Center Robert Morton
As with many organs, some manage to survive and stay in the theatre where they were installed from the factory, and others find a life in a different home. This Robert Morton managed to find four homes. This is the history of how it got here.Jane Sparks looks up from a late night practice session at the newly refinished console of the Center Morton.
-Picture by Jim Sparks
CENTER THEATRE
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
By Henry B. Aldredge
Live theater organ returned to Durham, North Carolina in March 1963 after an absence of 13 years with the restoration of the Center Theater’s 2/8 Robert Morton.
An 11 pm. concert late in March climaxed almost a year’s hard work by Don Hall (Piedmont ATOE) and Clay Ross, both from nearby Chapel Hill.
The Center Theater, which opened in 1939, obtained the Morton from the National Theater in Greensboro, where it was originally installed in 1922. From 1939 until 1950, the organ solo and community sing were regular intermission features, and during W.W. II, a daily program featuring the instrument was broadcast by a local radio station.
In 1950, the staff organist position at the Center Theater was discontinued, and for the next 13 years, the Morton lay unused, although students from neighboring colleges played and worked on the organ for brief periods of time.
In June, 1962, Don Hall, who is an avid theater organ fan, spotted the console one evening. He asked for and was granted permission to play it. The blower fired up beautifully at the first try, but unfortunately so did most of the pipes. Although amazingly free from major damage, the Morton sounded pretty sad indeed. During the first few weeks of work, Don did a little tuning which improved matters greatly, and traced many ciphers to short circuits. By this time, much of the organ was playable, but wiring and some leathers were badly in need of repair.
In October, 1962, Don was joined by Clay Ross and together they succeeded in putting the organ in top shape.
Their first major project was to trace bad connections and broken wiring. Upon completion of this project, many dead notes had been revived and both swell and crescendo pedals worked properly. Tremulants were also in need of adjustment as were the often temperamental traps. The original Morton rubber tubing for the combination action had long since rotted away and all of this was replaced. The combination action was extensively releathered until it was restored to proper working condition.
By this time it was March. The console was finished in off white and shades rigged for the console lights. (The original shades had long since disappeared) The Morton was now ready for its first public performance in many years.
Local newspapers wrote feature articles on the work of Hall and Ross which were released prior to the opening concert, and a Chapel Hill radio station ran a special tape of the newly restored instrument. The concert which featured both Hall and Ross at the console was well received by local citizens.
But work on the Morton was not not finished. Through the summer months Hall and Ross tracked leaky swell engines and replaced leather on several of them. Leaks in the console were cured and heavy sound absorbers were constructed about the Tremulant units. As a result, superfluous noise was eliminated.
Later Hall and Ross cured a rather temperamental second touch and succeeded in rerigging the crash cymbal and tympani which for some reason had never been attached when the instrument was moved to the Center Theater.
Don Hall presented a second concert in August of 1963 and a pre-Christmas concert by guest artist Steve Brown, organist from the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville, completed the 1963 season.
During this past summer, work was once again started on the Morton, this time to take the squeaks out of the Kinura. This stop was of such overpowering brilliance that it dominated the entire organ, even when played full. The Kinura was winded so that it received air from the same chest which supplied air to the Tibia. The very deep Tibia Tremulant would modulate the air’ so much that the Kinura would nearly stop functioning with the trems on. It was decided to reroute the air line to the Kinura chest so that it would get air from the lower pressure and more lightly modulated Vox reservoir.
For this first venture in the craft of metal working, Hall was joined by Jim Sparks, a Durham resident whose photographs accompany this article. The old air line was taken loose and the original supply hole covered. Then the line was cut, bent, and refitted to the Vox reservoir. After this work was completed the Kinura was retuned to its new wind pressure and now makes a useful contribution to the sound of the Wonder Morton. Hall said, “It’s like having an entire new rank added to the organ.”
During October, Don and the author began the job of properly restoring the finish of the console. The console was washed, sanded and filled in with plastic wood and painted with two coats of flat cream enamel. After this had dried, gold enamel antiquing was applied with an air brush borrowed for the occasion. The accompanying pictures will show the improvement in the appearance of the console. At this time a signal light from the projection booth was added to the console to facilitate exact timing for intermission performances, a la Radio City Music Hall.
The organ is now used mainly for the late night and early Sunday morning pleasure of the Piedmont Chapter members and their guests. The organ is frequently played for Saturday night intermissions by Hall, Jane Sparks and the author. A joint concert is planned with the A.G.O. in late April, 1965, with Richard Smith of Baltimore as guest artist.
Robert Morton Organ – 2 manual 8 rank. Originally installed in the National Theatre, Greensboro, N.C. 1922. Moved to Center Theatre, Durham, N.C. 1938.
PEDAL
32 Resultant
16 Diaphone
16 Bourdon
8 Trumpet
8 Diapason
8 Flute
8 Tibia
8 Cello
Bass Drum
Tympani Cymbal
SECOND TOUCH PEDAL
Bass Drum
Cymbal Tympani
Crash Cymbal
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ACCOMPANIMENT
16 Bourdon
16 Cello (TC)
8 Trumpet
8 Diapason
8 Tibia
8 Flute
8 Violin
8 Violin Celeste
8 Kinura
8 Vox Humana
4 Diapason
4 Flute
4 Violin
4 Violin Celeste
2-2/3 Twelfth
2 Flute
Chrysoglott
Snare Drum
Tambourine
Castanets
Chinese Block
Tom Tom
SECOND TOUCH ACCOMPANIMENT
8 Tibia
8 Trumpet
Chimes
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SOLO
16 Bourdon
16 Diapason
16 Vox Humana (TC)
8 Trumpet
8 Diapason
8 Tibia
8 Flute
8 Violin
8 Violin Celeste
8 Synth Oboe
8 Kinura
8 Vox Humana
4 Diapason
4 Tibia
4 Flute
4 Violin
4 Violin Celeste
4 Vox Humana
2-2/3 Twelfth
2 Flute
1-3/5 Tierce
Orchestra Bells
Xylophone
Chimes
SECOND TOUCH
SOLO
16 Tibia (TC)
16 Trumpet (TC)
8 Diapason
COUPLERS
16 Solo to Solo
4 Solo to Solo
TREMULANTS
Right
Left
Vox-Trumpet-Kinura
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Source: “THEATRE ORGAN” the journal of the American Association of Theatre Organ Enthusiasts (aka American Theatre Organ Society), Vol 6, No 4 – Winter 1964 – 1965 “Two North Carolina’s Theatre Pipe Organs”, pg 20.
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