Orpheum Theatre (Boston)

Boston Music Hall in Boston was one of the first concert halls in the United States.

The building was built in 1852 and inaugurated in November this year. It provided space for 2500 listeners. The building was made ​​possible by a donation of $ 100,000 from Harvard Musical Association. 1863 built with Eberhard Friedrich Walcker organ was installed in Ludwigsburg; from 1881, the Boston Music Hall was the home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The organ

Harper 's Weekly reported on December 12, 1863, that Dr. J. Baxter Upham had made two trips to Europe to find the right company for the construction of this organ, which was heard for the first time in Boston on November 2, 1863. Walcker organ had on the 6000 pipes, one of which measured the longest about 32 feet and as Harper 's Weekly vividly described, were thick enough that a grown man to crawl through. 89 registers, four manuals and pedals, two belonged to the organ, the necessary wind was adjusted with hydro ago. The author of the article she reckoned to the three or four most powerful instruments ever built.

The prospectus of dark walnut wood he likened to a temple. In the center is located in a niche space for the organist. In the mask of a singing woman symbolizes the voice of the organ and a bust of Johann Sebastian Bach represents the composer. Is crowned the construction of a statue of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music, holding a lyre in his arms. It is flanked on both sides by griffins. There is a tower which contains three huge pipes on each side of the organ. These two jutting towers are supported by Halbkaryatiden in the style of ancient herms, besides which there are Löwenhermen. Above, the two pipe towers are each flanked by Cherubsfiguren. Other Jewellery of the organ consists of carved figures of musical instruments. The author's description in Harper 's Weekly felt Madame de Staël's definition of architecture as " frozen music " recalls.

This impressive organ case had been made in America: Although the company Herter Brothers as such did not yet exist at the time, wrote the author of the report, the design of this organ case Gustave Herter not alone, but also his brother Christian Herter to.

In 1884 the organ was removed from the Boston Music Hall, to create more space for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It was later set in the Serlo Organ Hall in Methuen again. This building had been built especially for the large concert organ and is now called Methuen Memorial Music Hall. There, the organ is still used today.

Reorganization and renaming

In 1900, the Boston Music Hall was transformed by its then owner, William Morris to a vaudeville theater; This was due to the expansion of the road and metro network. The Boston Symphony Orchestra moved then to the Symphony Hall and the Music Hall was under various names such as Empire Theatre (1904 ), Orpheum Theatre ( 1906), American Music Hall (1909 /10) and continue to be used again Orpheum.

Around this time, the house became the property of Marcus Loew, who ran Loews Cineplex Entertainment, now called Loews Orpheum and in 1915 was fundamentally redesigned, designed by Thomas W. Lamb. The house was extended among others, and received a new roof structure. Loew used the building both as a vaudeville theater as well as cinema, from the 1930s, just as cinema. 1972 Loew came from the building. It was reopened as Aquarius, but received in 1974 the name Orpheum back. From 1975 to 1979 it was the home to the Opera Company of Boston, which then moved to the Boston Opera House. The former home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra was used for concerts of all kinds; Appearances had here about the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Kiss, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Warren Zevon, Counting Crows, Trey Anastasio and Scissor Sisters.

In 2009 the house was sold and for the purpose of renovation provisionally closed.