Robt. Hope-Jones / by David H. Fox.
| Author/creator | Fox, David H. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Richmond, VA : The Organ Historical Society, 1992. |
| Description | xiii, 285 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Variant title | Robert Hope-Jones |
| Contents | The family of Robert Hope-Jones -- Hope-Jones in England. Early life ; Hope-Jones Electric Organ Company ; Norman Brothers & Beard ; Ingram, Hope-Jones & Company -- Hope-Jones in America. The Austin Organ Company (1903-1904) ; Hope-Jones & Harrison (1904-1905) ; E. M. Skinner Organ Company (1905-1906) ; The Hope-Jones Organ Company (1907-1910) ; The Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company (1910-1914) -- Inventions and devices associated with Hope-Jones. Telephone inventions ; The diaphone ; Resonant cubes ; Double tongued reed pipes ; Reed pipe tuning devices ; Vowel cavities ; Other organ pipe innovations ; Console features ; Electropneumatic action ; British patents & unsuccessful British patent applications of Robert Hope-Jones ; The American patents of Robert Hope-Jones -- List of "Hope-Jones" organs. Service contracts, 1911-1913 -- Collected stoplists of "Hope-Jones" organs ; A partial listing of Hope-Jones employees. Firms ; Employees. |
| Abstract | Robert Hope-Jones is considered to be the inventor of the theatre organ in the early 20th century. He thought that a pipe organ should be able to imitate the instruments of an orchestra, and that the console should be detachable from the organ. Among his innovations were a kind of electro-pneumatic action, the Diaphone and the modern Tibia Clausa with its strong 8' flute tone. The Tibia eventually became a staple of theater organs. The thunderous 32' Diaphone was less successful, but made an impression on audiences of the era. Hope-Jones organs were also noted for such innovations as stoptabs instead of drawknobs and very high wind pressures of 10" - 50" to imitate orchestral instruments. He used expression liberally, sometimes enclosing the entire organ behind thick swell shades for great expressive power. He also used a system of unification which multiplied considerably the number of stops relative to the number of ranks. He built 246 organs between 1887-1911 and his company employed 112 workers at its peak. Hope-Jones eventually merged his organ building operations with Wurlitzer in 1914. Shortly thereafter, Robert Hope-Jones ended his life by suicide in Rochester, New York, frustrated by his new association with the Wurlitzer company, it is said. Few Hope-Jones organs have survived to the present time. The organ at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, built by Hope-Jones in 1908, has most of its original Hope-Jones ranks still intact and playable, although it has been vastly enlarged since then. Another fully-preserved Hope Jones organ is his opus 2 at the First Universalist Church in Rochester, New York, which has been described as sounding "weighty and lush", with large-scaled 8' stops. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN | 0913499099 |
| ISBN | 9780913499092 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk | QL424.H56 F78 1992 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |