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MMD > Archives > January 2002 > 2002.01.02 > 09Prev  Next


Moeller Artiste Player Pipe Organ
By Tom DeLay

> The only other organ roll manufacturer that preserved its equipment
> was Austin Brothers.  Their fabulous quadruplex player perforator
> still exists.  As a post-script, it is sad to relate that the firm
> M.P. Moeller, Inc., is no more.  The company was dissolved not too
> many years ago.  Some of its last craftsmen have regrouped and still
> produce pipe organ equipment in Hagerstown.

Vol. I of the book, "Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ", by
Dave Junchen, has a segment on the M.P. Moeller Company.  Among others,
pages 379 and 380 deal with Moeller's roll and player production.

At the ATOS convention in 1972 we heard a circa 1954 Moeller played
in the George Washington National Masonic Memorial in or nearby
Alexandria, VA.  The 3-manual 50-ish rank organ was installed overhead
and had a very good sound.  At one point in the program the "William
Tell Overture" was played on the Artiste player.  It was fabulous.
At the 1992 ATOS event in Philadelphia we were treated to a demo of
the Artiste player on the Philadelphia Convention Hall dual console
4-manual 88-rank Moeller.

In addition to the large 4-manual 36-rank Wurlitzers in their
auditoriums, three of the big Wm. Fox Theatres (San Francisco, Detroit,
St. Louis) contained 3-manual 12-rank Moeller lobby organs, each with
Artiste players.  The San Francisco organ was moved to a private home
near Sacramento.  I have no idea what became of the St. Louis lobby
Moeller.   Only the Detroit Fox Moeller lobby organ remains in place
and quite playable.

With Moeller's demise in or about 1992, does anyone have a clue as to
what happened to the 700 or so master rolls in the Moeller library?

Tom DeLay


(Message sent Wed 2 Jan 2002, 07:03:21 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Artiste, Moeller, Organ, Pipe, Player

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