Comedy Music Cellar

Music has played a major role in cinema since the first films were displayed in theaters. Up until the 1930s, music was used to convey ambient mood, emotion, and provide background music for silent films. Silent comedies featuring actors such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton benefited greatly from music and musical effects. A particular music keyboard instrument known as a theater organ played a major role in the history of these films.

When silent films first started they would typically be accompanied by a pianist or by a small orchestra. Most of the music played was improvised or taken from the classical repertoire, but eventually cue sheets were distributed that would give the musicians cues as to what would happen during the film. Between 1910 and 1920 the theater organ was created and at first was used to play along with the orchestra or to let the orchestra rest for certain segments of the film, but it eventually replaced the orchestra in most theaters. Wurlitzer became the most prolific manufacturer of and synonymous with these instruments.

Theater organs grew to become complex instruments, and distinct from traditional pipe organs in several ways, including the design of the console and the use of percussion instruments. They featured ranks of pipes that produced a traditional pipe organ sound and grew to include percussion instruments such as drums, wood blocks, marimbas, sleigh bells, and cymbals. Because of the many instruments that were available to the organist, the theater organ was designed with a “horseshoe” shape that allowed the organist to more easily reach all the stops (via tabs) during performance.

For silent comedies and other silent films of the era, the theater organ was a great enhancement. For any physical humor where a character slips, falls, or gets hit by something, the built-in percussion section in the theater organ increases the humorous impact of these events. The music itself actually becomes funny under the hands of a competent keyboard player. The music and the comedy went together hand-in-hand, even today but more so back then.

After sound was introduced to film in the 1930s, the use of the theater organ declined. Only a few theaters have their original theater organ installed. Some newer digital consoles are being created and restorations being done on original consoles. High quality sound samples of theater organs, particularly their pipe ranks, are being used on portable electronic music keyboards to be played anywhere. It is one of the most versatile music keyboard instruments every created and still admired by keyboard players today.