The Rylander Theatre of Americus, Georgia

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A. E. Schlueter Pipe
Organ Company, Inc.
Copyright 2006-2009
All Rights Reserved

The Rylander Theatre of Americus, Georgia

1928 Möller Theatre Organ, Opus 5351

Moved and restored 1999.

Three Manuals, Eleven Ranks

SPECIFICATION:

Solo Organ

16' Tuba Profunda, T.C.
8' Diapason Phonon
8' Tibia Clausa
8' Orchestral Flute*
8' Viole D'Amour*
8' Violas II Ranks
8' Tuba Harmonic
8' Kinura
8' French Trumpet*
8' Clarinet*
8' Vox Humana
4' Solo Piccolo
4' Flute
4' Violins II Ranks
4' Kinura
3' Tibia Twelfth
2' Whistle
Chimes
Xylophone
Octave Xylophone
Glockenspiel (Single Stroke)
Orchestral Bells (Repeat Stroke)
Harp Celeste (prepared for)

Great Organ

16' Contra Tibia T.C.
16' Bourdon
16' Bass Viole T.C.
16' Tuba Profunda T.C.
8' Diapason Phonon
8' Tibia Clausa
8' Orchestral Flute*
8' Viole D'Orchestra
8' Viole Celeste
8' Viole D'Amour*
8' Tuba Harmonic
8' Kinura
8' French Trumpet*
8' Orchestra Oboe (Syn)
8' Saxaphone (Syn)
8' Vox Humana
4' Solo Piccolo
4' Flute*
4' Violin II
4' Kinura
4' Vox Humana
2 2/3' Nazard Viole
2 2/3' Tibia Twelfth
2' Viole fifteenth
2' Whistle
1 3/5' Tierce
1' Fife
Chimes
Xylophone
Orch. Bells (Repeat Stroke)
Glockenspiel (Single Stroke)

Accompaniment Organ

16' Bourdon*
16' Bass Voice TC
16' Vox Humana T.C.
8' Diapason Phonon
8' Tibia Clausa
8' Viole D'Orchestre
8' Viole Celeste
8' Orchestra Flute*
8' Viole D'Amour*
8' Tuba Harmonic
8' French Trumpet
8' Clarinet
8' Orch. Oboe (Syn)
8' Saxaphone (Syn)
8' Vox Humana
4' Solo Piccolo
4' Flute*
4' Violin*
4' Violin II
2 2/3' twelfth
2 2/3' Nazard Viole
2' Whistle
2' Viole Fifteenth
1 3/5' Viole Tierce
1' Violette
Chimes
Orch. Bells
Glockenspiel
8' Harp Celeste (prepared for)
4' Harp Celeste (prepared for)
Snare Drum Roll
Snare Drum Tap
Muffled Drum Roll
Chinese Block Roll
Chimes Block Tap
Slapsticks
Tom Tom
Castanets
Tambourine

Accompaniment Second Touch

16' Tuba Profunda
8' Tibia
8' Diapason Phonon
8' Tuba Harmonic
8' French Trumpet
8' Kinura
8' Cello II Ranks
Glockenspiel
Xylophone (single stroke)

Pedal Organ

32' Acoustic Bass
16' Bass
16' Bourdon*
16' Viole
16' Tuba*
8' Diaphonic Diapason
8' Tibia Clausa
8' Cello II Ranks
8' Viola*
8' Tuba Harmonic
4' Violin II Rank
4' Flute

Pedal Second Touch

32' Acoustic Bass
16' Tuba*
8' diapason
Bass Drum
Cymbal
Slapsticks
Kettle Drum (Roll or Bass Drum)

Couplers

Solo to Solo 4'
Great to Great 4'
Acc. To Acc. 4'
Solo to Great 8'
Solo to Pedal 8'
Great to Pedal 8'
Acc. To Pedal 8'

Trick Couplers (Not affected by crescendo)

Great to Solo 4 4/7
Great to Solo 5 1/3
Great to Solo 6 2/5

Effects

Song Bird I
Song Bird II
Siren
Ford Horn
Slap Sticks
Steamboat Whistle
Doorbell
Triangle
Sleigh Bells
Wind Effects
Thunder Crash
Persian Cymbal
Chinese Gong
Grand Crash

Tremulants

Right Foundation
Right Orchestral
Left Foundation
Left Orchestral

Rank Listing

Tibia Clausa 97 Pipes
Viole D'Orchestre 97 Pipes
Viole Celeste 85 Pipes
Diapason Phonon 73 Pipes
Tuba Harmonic 85 Pipes
Vox Humana 73 Pipes
Kinura 73 Pipes
Orchestra Flute 85 Pipes*
French Trumpet 61 Pipes*
Clarinet 61 Pipes*
Orchestral Bell 37 Bars
Xylophone 49 Bars
Chimes 20 Tubes

*additions to original organ

DESCRIPTION

The 3-manual, eleven rank Möller Deluxe Theatre Pipe Organ, also known as the Frank Sheffield Memorial Organ, is Opus 5351 of the Möller Organ Company, formerly of Hagerstown, Maryland.

The organ was originally installed in the Riviera Theatre in Scranton, Pa.
It later found a home in Atlanta's East Point Theatre where the installation was never completed. Mr. James Thrower, of Marietta, Ga., purchased the organ and donated it to the Rylander Theatre.

Thanks to the generous gift of Anne Bradley Hale, the organ has been restored by the A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company. Mrs. Hale's father, Frank Sheffield, of Americus, once served as house organist at the Rylander Theatre and was an organist and organ enthusiast throughout his lifetime.

The Rylander Theatre originally opened on January 21, 1921. In 1951 the theatre closed its doors -- not to be re-opened until 1999. In spite of years of neglect and deterioration, the Rylander has been exquisitely restored to its original splendor.

The facility re-opened September 1, 1999 after almost four million dollars of restoration. The restoration was launched in 1994 by the city of Americus when the Mayor and City Council agreed to buy the theatre and allocate one and a half million dollars toward its restoration. A 1994 Floor Recovery Grant funded the roof repair and Georgia Governor at the time, Roy Barnes, allocated $450,000 toward the restoration. Additional funds were raised through other state grants and private donations.

The Rylander Theatre is among 22 winners statewide honored by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, which awarded the theatre the Preservation Award of the year 2000. The Rylander Theatre was also cited for excellence in restoration during the Georgia Trust's annual meeting in Columbus, Ga. on April 1, 2000.

The organ was dedicated by organist Mr. Ron Rhode, of Phoenix, Arizona, on October 30, 1999. Present in the audience were President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, Mrs. Anne Bradley Hale, Mr. James Thrower, members of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, and staff of the A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company.