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103-493: Harry Chamberlin's idea for the instrument came from recording himself playing an organ and conceiving its playback as entertainment. He designed the first Chamberlin instrument as early as 1949, intended as a home entertainment device for family sing-alongs and playing the big band standards of the day. The Chamberlin's use as a commercial instrument in rock (or rock and roll) music was not considered, as Harry Chamberlin disliked rock music and rock musicians. The Chamberlin has

206-482: A Moroccan -sounding horn section, " She's a Rainbow ", " 2000 Light Years from Home " and " Jigsaw Puzzle ". The Mellotron became a key instrument in progressive rock . King Crimson bought two Mellotrons when forming in 1969. They were aware of Pinder's contributions to the Moody Blues and did not want to sound similar, but concluded there was no other way of generating the orchestral sound. The instrument

309-440: A loudspeaker . When the player releases the key, the sound stops, and the tape rewinds by either metal spring rods (on the early Chamberlins) or by a return-roller mechanism (on the later M1 models). Each tape is only a few seconds long (eight seconds on many units). Harry Chamberlin converted a walk-in closet into a home studio and spent considerable time (usually from sunrise to sunset) experimenting with sounds. After modifying

412-422: A piano -style keyboard. Underneath each key is a tape -playing mechanism. Each tape is prerecorded with various musical instruments or special effects . When the musician presses a key, a pressure pad pushes the tape against a tape head , and a pinch roller beneath the key pulls it forward into storage box (or onto a roller mechanism). The electric signal generated by the tape head is amplified and heard through

515-456: A Mellotron in storage, but does not feel inclined to use it as he generally prefers to use up-to-date technology. Barclay James Harvest 's Woolly Wolstenholme bought an M300 primarily to use for string sounds, and continued to play an M400 live into the 2000s as part of a reformed band. Rick Wakeman played Mellotron on David Bowie 's 1969 hit song " Space Oddity ". Having previously found it difficult to keep in tune, Wakeman had discovered

618-530: A church and a concert organ became harder to draw. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, symphonic organs flourished in secular venues in the United States and the United Kingdom, designed to replace symphony orchestras by playing transcriptions of orchestral pieces. Symphonic and orchestral organs largely fell out of favor as the orgelbewegung (organ reform movement) took hold in

721-468: A console to produce the sounds or deliver the sound samples. Touch screen monitors allows the user to control the virtual organ console; a traditional console and its physical stop and coupler controls is not required. In such a basic form, a virtual organ can be obtained at a much lower cost than other digital classical organs. Mechanical organs include: The wind can also be created by using pressurized steam instead of air. The steam organ, or calliope ,

824-413: A digital or electronic organ that generates the sound with digital signal processing (DSP) chips, or a combination of pipes and electronics. It may be called a church organ or classical organ to differentiate it from the theatre organ , which is a different style of instrument. However, as classical organ repertoire was developed for the pipe organ and in turn influenced its development, the line between

927-617: A distinctive tremolo , became the most popular. Though originally produced to replace organs in the church, the Hammond organ, especially the model B-3, became popular in jazz , particularly soul jazz , and in gospel music . Since these were the roots of rock and roll , the Hammond organ became a part of the rock and roll sound. It was widely used in rock and popular music during the 1960s and 1970s by bands like Emerson, Lake and Palmer , Procol Harum , Santana and Deep Purple . Its popularity resurged in pop music around 2000, in part due to

1030-415: A drummer and a third instrumentalist (either jazz guitar or saxophone). In the 2000s, many performers use electronic or digital organs, called clonewheel organs , as they are much lighter and easier to transport than the heavy, bulky B-3. Performers of 20th century popular organ music include William Rowland who composed "Piano Rags"; George Wright (1920–1998) and Virgil Fox (1912–1980), who bridged both

1133-406: A key is pressed, a tape connected to it is pushed against a playback head, as in a tape deck . While the key remains depressed, the tape is drawn over the head, and a sound is played. When the key is released, a spring pulls the tape back to its original position. A variety of sounds are available on the instrument. On earlier models, the instrument is split into "lead" and "rhythm" sections. There

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1236-404: A length of magnetic tape to contact a capstan , which pulls it across a playback head . As the key is released, the tape is retracted by a spring to its initial position. Different portions of the tape can be played to access different sounds. The Mellotron evolved from the similar Chamberlin , but could be mass-produced more efficiently. The first models were designed for the home and contained

1339-567: A particularly prominent use was the cello sound on the hit single " Wonderwall ", played by Arthurs. It also notably appears on their 2000 single " Go Let It Out ". Radiohead asked Streetly Electronics to restore and repair a model for them in 1997, and recorded with it on several tracks for their album OK Computer (1997). The French electronic duo Air extensively used a M400 on their two first albums Moon Safari in 1998 and The Virgin Suicides in 1999. Spock's Beard 's Ryo Okumoto

1442-426: A pipe organ would not be a possibility. Far smaller and cheaper to buy than a corresponding pipe instrument, and in many cases portable, they have taken organ music into private homes and into dance bands and other new environments, and have almost completely replaced the reed organ. The Hammond organ was the first successful electric organ , released in the 1930s. It used mechanical, rotating tonewheels to produce

1545-611: A potential customer, the BBC became interested in the possibilities of the instrument, hoping it would allow them to increase throughput at the Radiophonic Workshop . Two custom-made models loaded with sound effects were acquired in 1963, but the Radiophonic Workshop were unenthusiastic and problems with fluctuating tape speed and noise meant the sound was not up to professional broadcast quality. They ended up in

1648-746: A prominent place in the liturgy of the Catholic Church . Subsequently, it re-emerged as a secular and recital instrument in the Classical music tradition. Early organs include: Medieval organs include: The pipe organ is the largest musical instrument . These instruments vary greatly in size, ranging from a cubic meter to a height reaching five floors, and are built in churches, synagogues, concert halls, and homes. Small organs are called " positive " (easily placed in different locations) or " portative " (small enough to carry while playing). The pipes are divided into ranks and controlled by

1751-422: A repair "looking like a blacksmith had shaped horseshoes on top". Pressing too many keys at once caused the motor to drag, resulting in the notes sounding flat. Robert Fripp stated that "[t]uning a Mellotron doesn't". Dave Kean, an expert Mellotron repairer, recommends that older Mellotrons should not be immediately used after a period of inactivity, as the tape heads can become magnetised in storage and destroy

1854-593: A second-hand model from Fort Dunlop Working Men's Club in Birmingham and using it extensively on every album from Days of Future Passed (1967) to Octave (1978). Pinder says he introduced John Lennon and Paul McCartney to the Mellotron, and convinced each of them to buy one. The Beatles hired a machine and used it on their single " Strawberry Fields Forever ", recorded in various takes between November and December 1966. Author Mark Cunningham describes

1957-532: A second-hand model in 1982 for £165, and first used it on the album Mummer (1983). IQ 's Martin Orford bought a second-hand M400 and used it primarily for visual appeal rather than musical quality or convenience. The Mellotron resurfaced in 1995 on Oasis ' album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? The instrument was played by both Noel Gallagher and Paul Arthurs on several tracks, but

2060-410: A single short keyboard to huge instruments with over 10,000 pipes . A large modern organ typically has three or four keyboards ( manuals ) with five octaves (61 notes) each, and a two-and-a-half octave (32-note) pedal board . Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart called the organ the "King of instruments". Some of the biggest instruments have 64-foot pipes (a foot here means "sonic-foot", a measure quite close to

2163-507: A time when a typical house cost £2,000–£3,000. Fransen failed to explain to the Bradleys that he was not the owner of the concept, and Chamberlin was unhappy with the fact that someone overseas was copying his idea. After some acrimony between the two parties, a deal was struck between them in 1966, whereby they would both continue to manufacture instruments independently. Bradmatic renamed themselves Streetly Electronics in 1970. In 1970,

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2266-451: A variety of sounds, including automatic accompaniments. Bandleader Eric Robinson and television personality David Nixon helped promote the first instruments, and celebrities such as Princess Margaret were early adopters. It was adopted by rock and pop groups in the mid to late 1960s. One of the first pop songs featuring the Mellotron was Manfred Mann 's " Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James " (1966). The Beatles used it on tracks including

2369-480: A way to do so using a special fingering technique. The Mellotron was used extensively by German electronic band Tangerine Dream through the 1970s, on albums such as Atem (1973), Phaedra (1974), Rubycon (1975), Stratosfear (1976), and Encore (1977). In the late 1970s, French duo Space Art used a Mellotron during the recording of their second album, Trip in the Centre Head . In 1983,

2472-422: Is a choice of six "stations" of rhythm sounds, each containing three rhythm tracks and three fill tracks. The fill tracks can also be mixed together. Similarly, there is a choice of six lead stations, each containing three lead instruments which can be mixed. In the centre of the Mellotron, there is a tuning button that allows a variation in pitch (tempo, in the case of the rhythm tracks). Later models do not have

2575-412: Is a fan of the Mellotron, saying it characterises the sound of the band. Porcupine Tree 's Steven Wilson has acquired one of King Crimson's old Mellotrons and, in 2013, gave a demonstration of the instrument in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Alternatives to the Mellotron were manufactured by competitors in the early to late 1970s. The Mattel Optigan was a toy keyboard designed to be used in

2678-435: Is placed in a small room, that this diminutive organ can fill with sound. It is often confined to chamber organ repertoire, as often the organs have too few voice capabilities to rival the grand pipe organs in the performance of the classics. The sound and touch are unique to the instrument, sounding nothing like a large organ with few stops drawn out, but rather much more intimate. They are usually tracker instruments, although

2781-464: Is played. Pressing a key harder allows the head to come into contact under greater pressure, to the extent that the Mellotron responds to aftertouch . Another factor in the Mellotron's sound is that the individual notes were recorded in isolation. For a musician accustomed to playing in an orchestral setting, this was unusual, and meant that they had nothing against which to intonate. Noted cellist Reginald Kilbey refused to downtune his cello to cover

2884-498: The French Classical school also flourished. François Couperin , Nicolas Lebègue , André Raison , and Nicolas de Grigny were French organist-composers of the period. Bach knew Grigny's organ output well, and admired it. In England, Handel was famous for his organ-playing no less than for his composing; several of his organ concertos, intended for his own use, are still frequently performed. After Bach's death in 1750,

2987-581: The Hammond organ have an established role in a number of popular-music genres, such as blues, jazz, gospel, and 1960s and 1970s rock music. Electronic and electromechanical organs were originally designed as lower-cost substitutes for pipe organs. Despite this intended role as a sacred music instrument, electronic and electromechanical organs' distinctive tone – often modified with electronic effects such as vibrato , rotating Leslie speakers , and overdrive – became an important part of

3090-592: The Mellotron Mark 1, Bradmatic eventually became Streetly Electronics and began manufacture of the Mellotron Mark 2 in 1963. In 1965 Harry Chamberlin became aware of the fraud after discovering a copy of his instrument being marketed at an American musical instrument trade show. He forced a legal settlement with Streetly Electronics. After visiting owners Frank, Norman, and Les Bradley in person (and having an intense discussion with Franson), an arrangement

3193-438: The integrated circuit enabled another revolution in electronic keyboard instruments. Digital organs sold since the 1970s utilize additive synthesis , then sampling technology (1980s) and physical modelling synthesis (1990s) are also utilized to produce the sound. Virtual pipe organs use MIDI to access samples of real pipe organs stored on a computer, as opposed to digital organs that use DSP and processor hardware inside

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3296-480: The organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more pipe divisions or other means (generally woodwind or electric ) for producing tones. The organs have usually two or three, up to five, manuals for playing with the hands and a pedalboard for playing with the feet. With the use of registers, several groups of pipes can be connected to one manual. The organ has been used in various musical settings, particularly in classical music . Music written specifically for

3399-573: The 14th century, though similar designs were common in the Eastern Mediterranean from the early Byzantine period (from the 4th century AD) and precursors, such as the hydraulic organ , have been found dating to the late Hellenistic period (1st century BC). Along with the clock , it was considered one of the most complex human-made mechanical creations before the Industrial Revolution . Pipe organs range in size from

3502-527: The 1990s and was used by bands such as Oasis , The Smashing Pumpkins , Muse , and Radiohead . This led to the resurrection of the original manufacturer, Streetly Electronics. In 2007, Streetly produced the M4000, which combined the layout of the M400 with the bank selection of earlier models. The Mellotron uses the same concept as a sampler , but generates its sound using analogue recordings on audio tape . When

3605-420: The 20th-century organ repertoire. Organ was also used a lot for improvisation , with organists such as Charles Tournemire , Marcel Dupré , Pierre Cochereau , Pierre Pincemaille and Thierry Escaich . Some composers incorporated the instrument in symphonic works for its dramatic effect, notably Mahler , Holst , Elgar , Scriabin , Respighi , and Richard Strauss . Saint-Saëns 's Organ Symphony employs

3708-499: The BBC FX library. British multi-instrumentalist Graham Bond is considered the first rock musician to record with a Mellotron, beginning in 1965. The first hit song to feature a Mellotron Mk II was "Baby Can It Be True", which Bond performed live with the machine in televised performances, using solenoids to trigger the tapes from his Hammond organ . Manfred Mann then included multiple Mellotron parts on their single, " Ha! Ha! Said

3811-539: The Brooklyn Dodgers, hired baseball's first full-time organist, Gladys Goodding . Over the years, many ballparks caught on to the trend, and many organists became well-known and associated with their parks or signature tunes. Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham , England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes

3914-460: The Clown ". There's one thing I can do / Play my Mellotron for you / Try to blow away your city blues Mike Pinder worked at Streetly Electronics for 18 months in the early 1960s as a tester, and was immediately excited by the possibilities of the instrument. After trying piano and Hammond organ, he settled on the Mellotron as the instrument of choice for his band, the Moody Blues , purchasing

4017-755: The English measurement unit) and it sounds to an 8  Hz frequency fundamental tone. Perhaps the most distinctive feature is the ability to range from the slightest sound to the most powerful, plein-jeu impressive sonic discharge, which can be sustained in time indefinitely by the organist. For instance, the Wanamaker organ , located in Philadelphia , US, has sonic resources comparable with three simultaneous symphony orchestras. Another interesting feature lies in its intrinsic " polyphony " approach: each set of pipes can be played simultaneously with others, and

4120-655: The Hammond organ include Bob Dylan , Counting Crows , Pink Floyd , Hootie & the Blowfish , Sheryl Crow , Vulfpeck , Sly Stone and Deep Purple . In the United States and Canada, organ music is commonly associated with several sports, most notably baseball , basketball , and ice hockey . The first baseball team to introduce an organ was the Chicago Cubs , who put an organ in Wrigley Field as an experiment in 1941 for two games. Ebbets Field , home of

4223-399: The Mellotron because they were starting to run into limitations of the cheap monophonic synthesizers they had used up to that point. He bought a second-hand M400 and was immediately impressed with the strings and choir sounds. XTC 's Dave Gregory recalls seeing bands using Mellotrons when growing up in the 1970s, and thought it would be an interesting addition to the group's sound. He bought

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4326-486: The Mellotron essentially obsolete. The company folded in 1986, and Les Bradley threw most of the manufacturing equipment into a skip . From 1963 until Streetly's closure, around 2,500 units had been built. Streetly Electronics was subsequently reactivated by Les Bradley's son John and Martin Smith. After Les Bradley's death in 1997, they decided to resume full-time operation as a support and refurbishment business. By 2007,

4429-468: The Mellotron sporadically in his solo career. The instrument became increasingly popular among rock and pop bands during the psychedelic era, adding what author Thom Holmes terms "an eerie, unearthly sound" to their recordings. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones played a Mellotron on several of his band's songs over 1967–68. These include " We Love You ", where he used the instrument to create

4532-521: The Optigan library. By the end of the 1970s, digital synths eroded the market for tape-based keyboards and Chamberlin ended M1 production in 1981, building the last few units in an Ontario, California factory, and later in the family garage with previously unreleased sounds. Harry Chamberlin died in 1986. In the 1980s Chamberlin recordings were minimal but producers Mitchell Froom ( Crowded House ) and Todd Rundgren ( XTC 's Skylarking in 1986) used

4635-467: The Tibia pipe family as its foundation stops and the regular use of a tremulant possessing a depth greater than that on a classical organ. Theatre organs tend not to take nearly as much space as standard organs, relying on extension (sometimes called unification) and higher wind pressures to produce a greater variety of tone and larger volume of sound from fewer pipes. Unification gives a smaller instrument

4738-643: The US and Canada. Chamberlin Co. continued to refine and sell their products, and invested more effort into reliability to compete with the Mellotron. Sales to major US studios resulted in Chamberlins being heard on many pop records of the 1960s including recordings by The Lettermen , Marvin Gaye , Bobby Goldsboro (" Honey " in 1968), The Beach Boys , and educator Edmund Bordeaux Szekely . A new Chamberlin design emerged in

4841-459: The accompaniments and some sound selection controls so it could be used by touring musicians. The instrument's popularity declined in the 1980s after the introduction of polyphonic synthesizers and samplers , despite high-profile performers such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and XTC continuing to use the instrument. Production of the Mellotron ceased in 1986, but it regained popularity in

4944-527: The acoustics in the studio, and also in other rooms in his house, the first Chamberlin recordings were made. All Chamberlin recordings were contracted and performed by members of the Lawrence Welk Orchestra throughout the 1950s. Welk was impressed with the idea of a tape playback instrument and offered to fund its manufacture if it was called a "Welk" machine. Chamberlin refused Welk's offer. Chamberlin used Neumann U47 microphones to record

5047-631: The album Seventh Sojourn (1972), American progressive rock band Ethos , David Bowie (from Low in 1977 through Scary Monsters in 1980), Edgar Winter ( Jasmine Nightdreams in 1975), Joe South , Iron Butterfly , Chip Taylor , New York session player Barry Frederick , Canadian musicians Joe and Gino Vannelli , jazz/fusion group Shadowfax ( Watercourse Way in 1976), and Bob Seger keyboardists Robyn Robbins and Tom Neme. Chamberlin Co. continued to earn revenue by licensing patents to Mattel for their Optigan keyboard, which uses its prerecorded loop as well as some Chamberlin music tapes in

5150-482: The availability of clonewheel organs that were light enough for one person to carry. In contrast to Hammond's electro-mechanical design, Allen Organ Company introduced the first totally electronic organ in 1938, based on the stable oscillator designed and patented by the company's founder, Jerome Markowitz. Allen continued to advance analog tone generation through the 1960s with additional patents. In 1971, in collaboration with North American Rockwell, Allen introduced

5253-475: The band's Christopher Franke asked Mellotronics if they could produce a digital model, as the group migrated towards using samplers. Although the Mellotron was not extensively used in the 1980s, a number of bands featured it as a prominent instrument. One of the few UK post-punk bands to do so was Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark , who featured it heavily on their platinum-selling 1981 album Architecture & Morality . Andy McCluskey has stated they used

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5356-540: The capability of a much larger one, and works well for monophonic styles of playing (chordal, or chords with solo voice). The sound is, however, thicker and more homogeneous than a classically designed organ. In the US the American Theater Organ Society (ATOS) has been instrumental in programs to preserve examples of such instruments. A chamber organ is a small pipe organ, often with only one manual, and sometimes without separate pedal pipes that

5459-479: The classical and religious areas of music. Church-style pipe organs are sometimes used in rock music . Examples include Tangerine Dream , Rick Wakeman (with Yes and solo), Keith Emerson (with The Nice and Emerson, Lake and Palmer ), George Duke (with Frank Zappa ), Dennis DeYoung (with Styx ), Arcade Fire , Muse , Roger Hodgson (formerly of Supertramp ), Natalie Merchant (with 10,000 Maniacs ), Billy Preston and Iron Butterfly . Artists using

5562-437: The concept of stations and have a single knob to select a sound, along with the tuning control. However, the frame containing the tapes is designed to be removed, and replaced with one with different sounds. Although the Mellotron was designed to reproduce the sound of the original instrument, replaying a tape creates minor fluctuations in pitch ( wow and flutter ) and amplitude, so a note sounds slightly different each time it

5665-408: The development of the electronic organ. It generated its sounds using reeds similar to those of an accordion . Smaller, cheaper and more portable than the corresponding pipe instrument, these were widely used in smaller churches and in private homes, but their volume and tonal range was extremely limited. They were generally limited to one or two manuals; they seldom had a pedalboard. The chord organ

5768-403: The hit single " Strawberry Fields Forever " (1967). The Moody Blues keyboardist Mike Pinder used it extensively on the band's 1967 album Days of Future Passed as well as the group's following six albums. During the 1970s, the Mellotron became common in progressive rock , used by groups such as King Crimson , Yes and Genesis . Later models, such as the bestselling M400, dispensed with

5871-598: The home and the characteristics of the instrument attracted a number of celebrities. Among the early Mellotron owners were Princess Margaret , Peter Sellers , King Hussein of Jordan and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (whose Mellotron was installed in the Church of Scientology's head UK office at Saint Hill Manor ). According to Robin Douglas-Home , Princess Margaret "adored it; ( Lord Snowdon ) positively loathed it". After Mellotronics had targeted them as

5974-461: The home or in clubs and were not designed for touring bands. Even the later M400, which was designed to be as portable as possible, weighed over 122 pounds (55 kg). Smoke, variations in temperature, and humidity were also detrimental to the instrument's reliability. Moving the instrument between cold storage rooms and brightly lit stages could cause the tapes to stretch and stick on the capstan. Leslie Bradley recalls receiving some Mellotrons in for

6077-486: The instrument in a different way to a typical orchestra, using block chords, and later stated that he used it in the same manner as a synth pad on later albums. His unaccompanied introduction to " Watcher of the Skies " on the album Foxtrot (1972), played on a Mk II with combined strings and brass, became significant enough that Streetly Electronics provided a "Watcher Mix" sound with the M4000. Banks claims to still have

6180-490: The instrument. The Chamberlin experienced a revival in the 1990s with a new generation of musicians using them and appreciating the unique sounds produced by playing them in unorthodox ways. These included Michael Penn and his keyboardist Patrick Warren ( March , Free-for-All , Resigned , MP4 as well as Penn's film scores for Boogie Nights in 1997), singer/songwriter Sam Phillips on her album Cruel Inventions (1991), and singer/songwriter/producer Jon Brion on

6283-412: The introduction to Strawberry Fields Forever ) actually comprises recordings from an alto flute and a soprano flute, which accounts for some of the odd tuning that appears when chords are played. Other sounds such as the brass opted for a layered effect where instruments were recorded within their correct range. Others recorded more recently, such as the bass clarinet opt instead to drop the tuning on

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6386-767: The late 1960s, ending the use of rhythm tapes. This was the much more durable M1 which appeared in 1970 with a flawless tape-return roller system. This model has higher-quality playback tape heads with no tape warble and greater bandwidth than the Mellotron. The unit is a table-top version of the earlier models and much smaller than the competing M400 Mellotron model. About 130 M1 Chamberlins were built. These musicians included Disneyland /Disney Worlds' live performance artist Michael Iceberg in his shows featuring electronic instruments. Others include Skip Konte with Three Dog Night , Olivia Newton-John , Leon Russell ( Carney in 1972), Neil Merryweather , James Taylor , Stevie Wonder , Ambrosia , Mike Pinder with The Moody Blues on

6489-451: The lower range of the Mellotron, and so the bottom notes are actually performed on a double bass (His refusal was based on the fact that him playing these notes on his cello would be robbing a double bassist of the session fee. When the double bassist turned up for the next session it was found to be Kilbey with a different instrument, thereby collecting a double fee for both appearances). According to Mellotron author Nick Awde , one note of

6592-529: The lowest notes by pitching them electronically. The Mellotron choir was recorded in two halves: four men in one studio, and four women in another adjacent, thereby allowing for the actual recording of three sounds concurrently. In this, the male singers from the Ted Taylor Choir were allowed to drop the highest notes back to the previous octave as they were considerably out of their natural range. The original Mellotrons were intended to be used in

6695-545: The mid-1960s. Consequently, it can be difficult to tell whether a recording features a Mellotron or Chamberlin when the three violins tapes are used, other than by the country of origin of the recording. Mistaking Chamberlin sounds for real instruments is common because they were recorded with no processing and because there were fewer mixdown master tapes used compared to the Mellotron library. The M series Chamberlins wide bandwidth playback heads also enhanced fidelity. Chamberlin instruments were never distributed for sale outside

6798-607: The middle of the 20th century, and organ builders began to look to historical models for inspiration in constructing new instruments. Today, modern builders construct organs in a variety of styles for both secular and sacred applications. The theatre organ or cinema organ was designed to accompany silent movies . Like a symphonic organ, it is made to replace an orchestra. However, it includes many more gadgets, such as mechanical percussion accessories and other imitative sounds useful in creating movie sound accompaniments such as auto horns, doorbells, and bird whistles. It typically features

6901-427: The model M400 was released, which contained 35 notes (G–F) and a removable tape frame. It sold over 1,800 units. In the early 1970s, hundreds of the instruments were assembled and sold by EMI under exclusive licence. Following a financial and trademark dispute through a US distribution agreement, the Mellotron name was acquired by American-based Sound Sales. Streetly-manufactured instruments after 1976 were sold under

7004-417: The modern builders are often building electropneumatic chamber organs. Keyboard pieces that predate Beethoven may usually be as easily played on a chamber organ as on a piano or harpsichord, and a chamber organ is sometimes preferable to a harpsichord for continuo playing as it is more suitable for producing a sustained tone. The pump organ , reed organ or harmonium, was the other main type of organ before

7107-487: The most important organist-composers before 1650. Influenced in part by Sweelinck and Frescobaldi, the North German school rose from the mid-17th century onwards to great prominence, with leading members of this school having included Buxtehude , Franz Tunder , Georg Böhm , Georg Philipp Telemann , and above all Johann Sebastian Bach , whose contributions to organ music continue to reign supreme. During this time,

7210-494: The name Novatron . The American Mellotron distributor, Sound Sales, produced their own Mellotron model, the 4-Track, in the early 1980s. At the same time Streetly Electronics produced a road-cased version of the 400 – the T550 Novatron. By the mid-1980s, both Sound Sales and Streetly Electronics suffered severe financial setbacks, losing their market to synthesizers and solid-state electronic samplers , which rendered

7313-515: The organ is common from the Renaissance to the present day. Pipe organs , the most traditional type, operate by forcing air through pipes of varying sizes and materials, each producing a different pitch and tone. These instruments are commonly found in churches and concert halls , where they have long been associated with liturgical music and grand ceremonial occasions. Mechanical or electronic systems are used by non-pipe organs to emulate

7416-410: The organ more as an equitable orchestral instrument than for purely dramatic effect. Poulenc wrote the sole organ concerto since Handel's to have achieved mainstream popularity. Because the organ has both manuals and pedals, organ music has come to be notated on three staves . The music played on the manuals is laid out like music for other keyboard instruments on the top two staves, and the music for

7519-525: The organ's prominence gradually shrank, as the instrument itself increasingly lost ground to the piano . Nevertheless, Felix Mendelssohn , César Franck , and the less famous A.P.F. Boëly (all of whom were themselves expert organists) led, independently of one another, a resurgence of valuable organ writing during the 19th century. This resurgence, much of it informed by Bach's example, achieved particularly impressive things in France (even though Franck himself

7622-439: The original design. The Bradleys subsequently met bandleader Eric Robinson , who agreed to help finance the recording of the necessary instruments and sounds. Together with the Bradleys and television celebrity David Nixon (Robinson's son-in-law), they formed a company, Mellotronics, in order to market the instrument. Robinson was particularly enthusiastic about the Mellotron, because he felt it would revitalise his career, which

7725-517: The part in "Strawberry Fields Forever" as "probably the most famous Mellotron figure of all-time". Although producer George Martin was unconvinced by the instrument, describing it "as if a Neanderthal piano had impregnated a primitive electronic keyboard", they continued to compose and record with various Mellotrons for the albums Magical Mystery Tour (1967) and The Beatles (1968, also known as "the White Album"). McCartney went on to use

7828-499: The pedals is notated on the third stave or sometimes, to save space, added to the bottom of the second stave as was the early practice. To aid the eye in reading three staves at once, the bar lines are broken between the lowest two staves; the brace surrounds only the upper two staves. Because music racks are often built quite low to preserve sightlines over the console, organ music is usually published in oblong or landscape format. Electronic organs and electromechanical organs such as

7931-466: The possession of Todd Rundgren 's studio and appears on XTC 's Skylarking album in 1986). Franson placed an ad asking for a company that could manufacture seventy standard playback heads. Bradmatic Ltd. (an engineering company) responded to the ad. Franson removed the Chamberlin labels and sold the rebadged "Franson" instrument without Harry Chamberlin's knowledge. Refining the 600's design into

8034-448: The predecessor to modern portable keyboards , as they included one-touch chords, rhythm and accompaniment devices, and other electronically assisted gadgets. Lowrey was the leading manufacturer of this type of organs in the smaller (spinet) instruments. In the 1960s and 1970s, a type of simple, portable electronic organ called the combo organ was popular, especially with pop, Ska (in the late 1970s and early 1980s) and rock bands, and

8137-588: The recordings on them if played. Although tape samplers had been explored in research studios, the first commercially available keyboard-driven tape instruments were built and sold by California-based Harry Chamberlin . The concept of the Mellotron originated when Chamberlin's sales agent, Bill Fransen, brought two of Chamberlin's Musicmaster 600 instruments to England in 1962 to search for someone who could manufacture 70 matching tape heads for future Chamberlins. He met Frank, Norman, and Les Bradley of tape engineering company Bradmatic Ltd, who said they could improve on

8240-457: The slight imperfections in tuning. Hybrids , starting in the early 20th century, incorporate a few ranks of pipes to produce some sounds, and use electronic circuits or digital samples for other sounds and to resolve borrowing collisions. Major manufacturers include Allen , Walker, Compton , Wicks, Marshall & Ogletree, Phoenix, Makin Organs, Wyvern Organs and Rodgers . The development of

8343-654: The sound of pipe organs. Predecessors to the organ include: The organ is a relatively old musical instrument , dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria (285–222 BC), who invented the water organ . It was played throughout the Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman world, particularly during races and games. During the early medieval period it spread from the Byzantine Empire , where it continued to be used in secular (non-religious) and imperial court music, to Western Europe , where it gradually assumed

8446-474: The sound of popular music. The electric organ, especially the Hammond B-3, has occupied a significant role in jazz ever since Jimmy Smith made it popular in the 1950s. It can function as a replacement for both piano and bass in the standard jazz combo. The Hammond organ is the centrepiece of the organ trio , a small ensemble which typically includes an organist (playing melodies, chords and basslines),

8549-481: The sound of the instrument selected. The American Federation of Musicians took notice and attempted to limit live performances of Chamberlin instruments fearing that their members would be put out of work. Despite the controversy, musicians worldwide embraced the Chamberlin. " Mack the Knife " singer Bobby Darin was one of the first customers, buying a customized model 300 without the rhythm section tapes. Elvis Presley

8652-475: The sound waveforms. Its system of drawbars allowed for setting volumes for specific sounds, and it provided vibrato-like effects. The drawbars allow the player to choose volume levels. By emphasizing certain harmonics from the overtone series, desired sounds (such as 'brass' or 'string') can be imitated. Generally, the older Hammond drawbar organs had only preamplifiers and were connected to an external, amplified speaker. The Leslie speaker , which rotates to create

8755-595: The sounds mixed and interspersed in the environment, not in the instrument itself. Most organs in Europe, the Americas, and Australasia can be found in Christian churches. The introduction of church organs is traditionally attributed to Pope Vitalian in the 7th century. Due to its simultaneous ability to provide a musical foundation below the vocal register, support in the vocal register, and increased brightness above

8858-418: The sounds. The sounds are characterized by a very clean output and heavy vibrato, which was customary of the music styles of the time. The Chamberlin sounds have little compression and possess dynamics true to the instruments recorded on the tapes (such as the air in the flute, or the flow in of the strings). The Chamberlin instruments were designed to accurately replicate the sound of the instrument recorded on

8961-416: The soundtrack to the film I Heart Huckabees (2004). Tom Waits also used the instrument on albums such as The Black Rider (1993) and Bone Machine (1992). Various models exist of the Chamberlin. There are both keyboard -based instruments and drum machines (which are called Rhythmate). Approximately 500–700 units were made, but the exact number is unknown. Organ (music) In music ,

9064-475: The stock of available instruments to repair and restore was diminishing, so they decided to build a new model, which became the M4000. The instrument combined the features of several previous models, and featured the layout and chassis of an M400 but with a digital bank selector that emulated the mechanical original in the Mk II. The first notable musician to use the Mellotron was variety pianist Geoff Unwin , who

9167-400: The string sounds contains the sound of a chair being scraped in the background. When the Chamberlin was first developed, the initial recorded sound used was that of three violins, thereby committing the instrument range to G2 to F5, being the range of the violin . Unfortunately, as with the cello, many other instruments did not conform to this range. The noted solo flute (which appears on

9270-560: The tape. They were meant to be stationary and not transportable. so there was little effort devoted to reliability. Many early Chamberlins have no internal chassis and are prone to go out of adjustment. As Chamberlin refined the design he began to demonstrate it at music trade shows, and competitors such as Hammond and Lowrey were curious about the origin of Chamberlin sounds. In an effort to compete, these companies created drum rhythms and added plastic tabs with orchestral instrument names on them. These tabs would generate tones that simulated

9373-436: The terms and conditions of distributorship and eschewed it. Chamberlin favoured doing business directly with lounges, nightclubs and musicians who embraced big band music. In 1962 Bill Franson went missing for several months. A radio could be heard playing music in his apartment but attempts to contact him proved futile. Franson had left for England by boat taking two Chamberlin 600 models with him (one of these eventually became

9476-511: The use of hand stops and combination pistons . Although the keyboard is not expressive as on a piano and does not affect dynamics (it is binary; pressing a key only turns the sound on or off), some divisions may be enclosed in a swell box , allowing the dynamics to be controlled by shutters. Some organs are totally enclosed, meaning that all the divisions can be controlled by one set of shutters. Some special registers with free reed pipes are expressive. It has existed in its current form since

9579-404: The vocal register, the organ is ideally suited to accompany human voices , whether a congregation , a choir , or a cantor or soloist. Most services also include solo organ repertoire for independent performance rather than by way of accompaniment, often as a prelude at the beginning the service and a postlude at the conclusion of the service. Today this organ may be a pipe organ (see above),

9682-546: The world's first commercially available digital musical instrument. The first Allen Digital Organ is now in the Smithsonian Institution. Frequency divider organs used oscillators instead of mechanical parts to make sound. These were even cheaper and more portable than the Hammond. They featured an ability to bend pitches . From the 1940s up until the 1970s, small organs were sold that simplified traditional organ stops. These instruments can be considered

9785-412: Was a signature sound in the rock music of the period, such as The Doors and Iron Butterfly . The most popular combo organs were manufactured by Farfisa and Vox . Conn-Selmer and Rodgers , dominant in the market for larger instruments, also made electronic organs that used separate oscillators for each note rather than frequency dividers, giving them a richer sound, closer to a pipe organ, due to

9888-417: Was also an early owner, occasionally using it for home entertainment. Chamberlin's company grew by employing his wife, his children, and his window cleaner Bill Franson as his salesman. Franson travelled the country offering the Chamberlin instruments to music stores, parlours, and cocktail lounges. Offers of wider distribution were made, but Harry Chamberlin preferred word of mouth advertising and did not like

9991-529: Was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1950. It provided chord buttons for the left hand, similar to an accordion. Other reed organ manufacturers have also produced chord organs, most notably Magnus from 1958 to the late 1970s. Since the 1930s, pipeless electric instruments have been available to produce similar sounds and perform similar roles to pipe organs. Many of these have been bought both by houses of worship and other potential pipe organ customers, and also by many musicians both professional and amateur for whom

10094-478: Was invented in the United States in the 19th century. Calliopes usually have very loud and clean sound. Calliopes are used as outdoors instruments, and many have been built on wheeled platforms. The organ has had an important place in classical music , particularly since the 16th century. Spain's Antonio de Cabezón , the Netherlands' Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck , and Italy's Girolamo Frescobaldi were three of

10197-532: Was made that Mellotrons would only be sold in the UK and Chamberlins would be sold in the US. Chamberlin would receive royalty payments from the Mellotron company, though this apparently ended in the late 1960s. Through this same royalty system, he licensed the Chamberlin "3 violins" sound to be used as the violins sound in the Mellotron library. This sound was used on much of the British Mellotron music since

10300-758: Was of Belgian birth). Major names in French Romantic organ composition are Charles-Marie Widor , Louis Vierne , Alexandre Guilmant , Charles Tournemire , and Eugène Gigout . Of these, Vierne and Tournemire were Franck pupils. In Germany, Max Reger (late 19th century) owes much to the harmonic daring of Liszt (himself an organ composer) and of Wagner . Paul Hindemith produced three organ sonatas and several works combining organ with chamber groups. Sigfrid Karg-Elert specialized in smaller organ pieces, mostly chorale-preludes. Among French organist-composers, Marcel Dupré , Maurice Duruflé , Olivier Messiaen and Jean Langlais made significant contributions to

10403-417: Was originally played by Ian McDonald, and subsequently by Robert Fripp upon McDonald's departure. Later member David Cross recalled he did not particularly want to play the Mellotron, but felt that it was simply what he needed to do as a member of the band. Tony Banks bought a Mellotron from Fripp in 1971, which he claimed was previously used by King Crimson, to use with Genesis . He decided to approach

10506-406: Was specifically hired by Robinson in 1962 to promote the use of the instrument. He toured with a Mk II Mellotron and made numerous appearances on television and radio. Unwin claimed that the automatic backing tracks on the Mk II's left-hand keyboard allowed him to provide more accomplished performances than his own basic skills on the piano could provide. The earlier 1960s Mk II units were made for

10609-519: Was then on the wane. He arranged the recording sessions at IBC Studios in London, which he co-owned with George Clouston. The first model to be commercially manufactured was the Mk I in 1963. An updated version, the Mk II, was released the following year which featured the full set of sounds selectable by banks and stations. The instrument was expensive, costing £1,000 (equivalent to £26,449 in 2023), at

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