The sound of another time

Shen started her music training at the age of 4, when she learned piano and electronic organ under the guidance of her father, Shen Xiaoming, a pioneering electronic organist who was one of the founders of professional education in the instrument in China.

Shen Yuan first saw the organ at the medical college in 2009 when she did research for her PhD thesis. She was surprised to realize that it is no ordinary organ. Unlike those mostly seen in churches and concert halls, it belongs to the family of theater organs, which was developed during the silent movie era. Movie theaters used them to provide a varied soundtrack to movies being played.

Sitting down at the organ, Shen Yuan displayed the colorful sounds that the organ could make. With keys pressed and pedals manipulated, she made sounds, such as that of a soft and gentle harp, a clanging cymbal and military drum roll.

"This is the oldest organ of its kind that still exists in China. It's also the only theater organ that was produced in China," says Shen Yuan, adding that about 7,000 theater organs were made worldwide from 1887 to 1942. About 40 of them have survived. "This organ is a great cultural legacy."