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Charles Peart to be Organist at the Alhambra


Ogden Standard Examiner, 5 April 1915, page 6

The console, or keyboard, for the big pipe organ at the Alhambra theatre reached Ogden Saturday afternoon and is rapidly being connected with the other parts of the instrument. The organ will be dedicated Wednesday night with Charles Peart at the keyboard.

Mr. Peart has been associated with the Alhambra Theatrical company for several years as a member of the Isis and Globe theatre orchestras and prior to his coming to America from England in 1909, has quite a reputation as a pianist, organist and accompanyist. In the town of Rochdale, Lancashire, England, where he was born, he succeeded his father as organist of one of the principal Methodist churches, after the latter had held the position for forty years.

While in England, he studied under the following professors: Piano, Mr. William Jackson, L. R. A M. I. S. M., at present professor of piano at the Conservatory of Music, South Africa; piano and harmony, Professor S. H. Hanson, F. R. C. O.; organ, Mr. David Clegg, the eminent English concert organist and composer of Queen's hall, London. He is also the possessor of a certificate from the Trinity College of Music, London, England, for piano playing, which he gained when he was 17 years of age.

The great organ which the Ogden musician is to play, was built by the Kimball Organ company of Chicago at a cost of approximately $20,000 and is said to be the largest one installed in any moving picture theatre in the world. It is the embodiment of virtually every thing known in modern organ building and contains about 2500 pipes. Among some of its most modern features are: stop tablets, dipped keys, concave radiating pedals and Echo-organ. The Echo organ is located about 350 feet away from the main organ. The action is “Electric-pneumatic and wind for the main organ and is furnished by a five-horsepower electric motor, which also generates ten volts of electricity for the action. The Echo organ has a separate one horsepower motor to furnish wind. The main organ includes a great organ, orchestral organ, pedal organ, and swell organ and the console has sixty stops.