The Trocadero Wurlitzer in the Troxy

One of the keys to success in any theatre organ installation is the size, shape and relation to the auditorium of the chambers (rooms) that contain the organ pipes.

The Trocadero Wurlitzer was originally installed in two wide, shallow chambers on opposite sides of the proscenium arch, with the Main organ on the left and the Solo organ on the right, each chamber having two sets of swell shutters side by side. This gave the organ a hallmark transparency and presence in the large auditorium, a characteristic used to great effect by Quentin Maclean and nowadays unachievable in any current UK theatre organ installation.

At the Troxy, the Main organ will be installed in two halves in the original organ chambers, one over the other, on the left side of the auditorium. The volume of these chambers will be reduced by the insertion of walls to reduce the ‘dead’ space in each chamber and thus give better projection of sound.

The Solo organ will be installed in a single tall chamber on the right side of the auditorium, with the large manual windchests installed one over the other and the Solo Tibia, Vox Humana, Tuba Mirabilis and English Horn uppermost.

The chief difference between the Trocadero and the Troxy installations is that in the Trocadero the swell shutters were placed side by side whereas at the Troxy they will be placed one above the other. This is not expected to have a significant impact on the sound of the instrument; what is more significant is that in both cases the organ will speak into a large space with cinema-type acoustics and that the chambers at the Troxy will be relatively ‘tight’ and favour good projection of the organ sound.

Due to the relatively small Solo chamber, it is planned to install certain of the percussions in a separate small chamber adjacent to the Solo chamber.

The organ will be equipped with two blowers, the original Trocadero blower for the Solo organ and a ‘new’ blower for the Main. This will obviate the need for a large and expensive wind duct crossing the building and ensure sufficient wind supply for the entire instrument.

The console will be stored in a protected ‘garage’ when not in use and brought to a playing position when needed in the stalls area.