Percussion

Percussion stops are a significant feature of even the smallest theatre organ, adding variety to interpretations of popular music.

Far from being ‘toys’, these are usually full-sized orchestral instruments and in many case the top brands were used. The ingenuity of the organ builder came to the fore when devising the electro-pneumatic actions to operate the instruments.

They fall into two main categories; ‘tonal’, such as the xylophone or glockenspiel, and ‘non-tonal’, such as the bass drum or cymbal.

 

See further:

Silent Picture Effects

Tonal percussion

Non-tonal percussions