Robert Hope-Jones (February 9, 1859, in Cheshire, England — September 13, 1914, in Rochester, New York, United States), is considered to be the inventor of the theatre organ in the early 20th century. He thought that a pipe organ should be able to imitate the instruments of an orchestra, and that the console should be detachable from the organ.

Among his innovations were a kind of electro-pneumatic action, the Diaphone and the modern Tibia Clausa with its strong 8′ flute tone. The Tibia eventually became a staple of theater organs. The thunderous 32′ Diaphone was less successful, but made an impression on audiences of the era.

Hope-Jones organs were also noted for such innovations as stoptabs instead of drawknobs and very high wind pressures of 10″ – 50″ to imitate orchestral instruments. He used expression liberally, sometimes enclosing the entire organ behind thick swell shades for great expressive power. He also used a system of unification which multiplied considerably the number of stops relative to the number of ranks.

He built 246 organs between 1887–1911 and his company employed 112 workers at its peak.Hope-Jones eventually merged his organ building operations with Wurlitzer in 1914. Shortly thereafter, Robert Hope-Jones ended his life by suicide in Rochester, New York, frustrated by his new association with the Wurlitzer company, it is said.

Few Hope-Jones organs have survived to the present time. Probably the largest and most complete example in the UK is the partially-restored 1901 organ at Battersea Old Town Hall, now the home of BAC (Battersea Arts Centre). The organ at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, built by Hope-Jones in 1908, has most of its original Hope-Jones ranks still intact and playable, although it has been vastly enlarged since then. Another fully-preserved Hope Jones organ is his opus 2 at the First Universalist Church in Rochester, New York, which has been described as sounding "weighty and lush", with large-scaled 8′ stops.

References

1. Biography at American Theatre Organ Society website
2. David H. Fox, Robert Hope-Jones. Richmond, Virginia: Organ Historical Society

• Colin Pykett, Robert Hope-Jones: The evolution of his organ actions in Britain from 1889 to 1903