Allen Organ Company

a Quantum Allen organ

The Allen Organ Company is the largest and best-known American maker of church organs. It builds classical digital and combination digital and pipe organs, as well as digital theatre organs. Its factory is located in Macungie, Pennsylvania.

History

The company was formed in 1937 by Jerome Markowitz. The company has installed electronic instruments worldwide since 1939. In 1961 the company stock became publicly traded.^[1] Inspired by the Hammond organ, Jerome Markowitz was determined to build a better electronic organ. Over the years, he built many home and church organs, and in 1971 the company introduced the world's first consumer-product digital musical instrument; in 2004, the Smithsonian Institution recognized the significance of this technology by acquiring the first Allen digital organ for its collection.^[2]

In 2005, the company deregistered its thinly-traded Class B common stock from NASDAQ Stock Exchange. The Board of Directors believes that the accounting, legal and administrative savings associated with deregistration may result in ongoing annual savings of about $250,000 to $400,000.^[3]

Technology

Quantum line

The Quantum organ line uses a digital processing technique called the convolution reverb, a technique widely used in both software and hardware musical instruments. In Allen's implementation of the technique, the acoustics of the sampled room become an integral part of the organ's sound. An 8-second stereo convolution reverb requires about 35 billion calculations per second; Allen patented a technique to reduce the computation amount to about 400 million calculations per second. A digital organ that produces Compact Disc quality sound without convolution reverb would require only about 100,000 calculations per second for each sound. Quantum organs include about 4,000 times that capacity to create convolution reverb.

Heritage line

The Heritage organ line incorporates convolution reverb technology into custom designed instruments.^[4]

See also

• Carlo Curley — was an Allen organist
• Virgil Fox played an Allen organ on his Heavy Organ tours.^[5]
• Walt Strony — an Allen organist; also, Allen had Mr. Strony design a digital organ for them, the Allen STR-4.
• Leonard Bernstein's 1971 MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers score calls for two Allen organs.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Allen Organ Company.

• "The Largest Builder of Church Organs in the World". Allen Organ Company. Archived from the original on 8 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-19. 
• Allen Organ Historical SEC Filings