I was just looking at YouTube clips of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square after it was mentioned on another thread, and I came across this clip of it being played on a Compton organ. Anyone here got a Compton organ / played on one / know anything about them?

Where to start with this one?

Comptons used a number of devices on their organs that made them what you might call 'theatre' friendly. The basics are good, but organs are characterised by some or many of the following:

-lots of extensions (makes playing higher up on the manuals a little bit of a lottery)
-double touch pistons (awkward if you're not used to them, results in some nervous pushing!)
-lights on stops to denote on/off, though sometimes you're not sure if they are off or the bulb has gone
-lots of enclosed boxes, even for the Great

I'm sure there are more and others will contribute. I have played the one at Derby Cathedral and it takes quite a while to get used to. One of the best untouched ones is, I think at Downside Abbey.

There was a Compton Organ website run by an Ivor Buckingham. Unfortunately he died, but I think someone else is keeping it going. Here is the hyperlink:
http://www.zyworld.com/IvorBuckingham/Home.htm

Compton organs were very well made, though the voicing was always rather smooth. The very small Miniatura extension instruments made quite useful house organs; there are still a lot of them around.

The Augmentum model organ was very promising, but shortly after this was developed the company went over to electronics only.

There is a lot about the company in Laurence Elvin's book 'Pipes & Actions'.

Barry Williams

Without appearing to be a trainspotter checking off his sightings (nothing wrong with that ) I have played several Compton organs - theatre and straight - good and bad.

Guildhall Southampton - two consoles - one theatre, one straight

BBC Compton, down in the basement of Broadcasting House = with "illuminated "touch stops" - still there but rarely heard

Cameo Poly Cinema, Upper Regent Street - nice little two manual theatre job - and STILL there!!

Odeon, Morden, South London - played at the final concert before it's removal. I was the young and up-n-coming guest organists......horrible organ!!!!

Odeon, Southport

Ex-Odeon Liverpool - big 4 manual job - 16 ranks - several concerts on this one in it present home

Ex-Regal, Gateshead - concerts in it's present home

Davenport Theatre, Stockport - now awaiting new home

Ex-Grand, Southport

St. Gregory's Preston - large two manual with Compton patent 32' Cube Bass

Ex- Odeon, Wood Green London, then in Polytech at Twickenham, Surrey

Ossett Town Hall - Compton Theatre Organ with some Christie (Hill Norman 'n Beard) ranks
Concert there in October.

There are plenty of the theatre instruments about still, and some excellent classical installations. The theatre consoles featured "stop cancellation". By pressing any single tab or group of tabs harder than normal, all the other tabs in that manual or pedal division would cancel, making registration changes quite easy once you go the hang of it. Usually metal tibias as opposed to Wurlitzer's wooden ones. Good chorus reeds and good (of course) diapasons

I think my dad had a Compton electronic organ - I think it was called an Electrone - at one of his village churches when I was trying to learn the organ in my teens. I'll ask him..

Yes, it's quite possible. Compton entered the "electronic" organ market even in the '30's when they added a "Melotone" electrostatic/electronic unit to some of their theatre pipe organs, notably at the Odeon in Leicester Square which still has it's H U G E 5-manual organ

Melotones where then made as self contained organs, then the "Theatrone" and then the "Electrone" - not tb confused with Yamaha "ElecTONES".

Where was the church you mention?

This is all very interesting, thank you for enlightening me. On the link you gave me, Barry, it showed a photo of an organ destined for St Lawrence Parish Church at Pudsey which is just on the edge of Leeds (where I live), but I looked at their web site and it didn't mention it so maybe it's gone now. And I found an interesting list of cinema organs from something you said, diapason. Thanks again

http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=E00920

Organ is still retained, if you believe the NPOR entry...

Not sure about Compton Organs, but I can sell you a nice Compton garage, and the up and over door squeaks at a low E flat!

Oh excellent! Now I just need to find a local organist who fancies a trip over to Pudsey

My OH had an old Compton with rotary tone wheels(?). He acquired it from a church in Wales when we lived in a very small semi in Liverpool, so it took up residence in the garage. It had a chimes stop, so he often threatened to open the garage and compete with the local ice-cream van . But it saved him travelling to Speke to do organ practice every day.

Then when we moved, we discovered that the pesky thing wouldn't go through a normal door, so we had to buy a house with French doors so the organ lived in the dining room. I had a very small dining table at the time thank goodness. The worst thing was that there was not only this large console, but also a large and not particularly decorative speaker.

On our next move, again we had to measure up for the organ to fit in and get through the doors. The vendors thought we were completely mad (we probably are, but that's beside the point). Fortunately for me, the organ was aging a bit by then crackling merrily everytime it was switched on, so I suggested that OH might like to treat himself to a sleek new electronic, and then I could have a cupboard built where the speaker stood (our family had increased by this time so extra storage was useful). So one fateful Saturday some enthusiasts came along with a van and happily manhandled the organ and speaker on board and took it off to Compton heaven. Maybe somewhere there's a happy Compton .....