jazzboy

Just to add to this thread, Compton's masterpiece at Southampton Guildhall has a Tuba and Harmonic Trumpet both on 25in wind and are magnificent & certainly loud, if not downright strident! Richard Hills uses both to good effect on the new CD. P

If it's of further interest, I am in touch with John Skinner, Laurie's son, and he has been to a couple of events at Southampton. He tells me he well remembers his Uncle Jim Taylor. I have his contact details. Peter

I'm so sorry - someone on this thread said it and maybe I misread the messages as that one coming from your good self, but damned if I can find it now, which leads me to assume that either I saw such a posting and whoever posted it has now deleted it, or I am sprinting towards the finishing line in the race to become senile by age 51. Mmmm.

To correct MusingMuso, Southampton Guildhall Compton has just one Tibia and it's made of wood! Compton metal Tibias can be quite good actually - those at Hammersmith Odeon and the Cameo Regent St are actually quite sweet. It largely depends on how well they are winded and tremmed. I urge you (all) to buy the new Richard Hills CD recorded at Southampton Guildhall - then you can hear fro yourself what Compton was capable of. See http://www.ssfweb.co.uk/silverst/html/grand_variety.html Peter

My understanding is that the church hasn't been used as a place of worship for years, since they started the archaeological dig in the middle of it

Has anyone got any particular recommends for chest/soundboard releathering work? In particular has anyone any experience of or is able to recommend Pipe Organ Services in Lincolnshire, run by Alan Goulding? Contact me privately please with any comments.

And by the way, if ever there was opportunity to restore or work on the Aberdeen cinema organ I would also be most interested. My team and I have restored several of the UK's Compton cinema organs, including the superb Hammersmith Odeon (Apollo) Compton.

Dear 'Mixture500' RE the Aberdeen organ, obviously the best thing would be for it to be restored and returned to use in its original building. However if the organ is no longer required and the church authorities just want rid of it, then it would be best to advertise it and try to find a good home for it. Being of electro-pneumatic action it might be easier to rehouse than a tracker (simply due to its flexibility). There is no way at all it should be allowed to be scrapped!!! I maintain its larger brother at Southampton Guildhall and it was my team who undertook the resurrection of this amazing instrument in 2008. I would welcome any opportunity to rehouse and refurbish the Aberdeen Compton. I will do some asking around to see what chance there might be of an interested party, Putting it on Ebay is also another good source of advertising these days. Please contact me directly on mail@taylor-hammond.com if there is anything to discuss. Regards Peter Hammond

If you prefer however, you can still order the CD from anywhere in the world from the Grand Variety home page: www.ssfweb.co.uk/silverst/html/grand_variety.html

Dear All Richard Hills’ fantastic CD Grand Variety, recorded at the wonderful and unique Southampton Guildhall Compton, has been selling well – but it may be more convenient for those of you not in the UK to download this incredible music rather than buying the CD “in the flesh” as it were. This is now possible. Grand Variety audio file downloads are now online and available to purchase. Direct link to web page is: www.ssfweb.co.uk/silverst/html/gv_download.html If you haven't bought the CD you might like to try these downloadable files instead which are available in top quality 24-bit format as well as mp3 format. In addition there are two bonus tracks available which did not appear on the CD. Purchase is via the totally safe and secure Gumroad facility - please note also, there are no extra credit card charges when you purchase from Gumroad. Richard Hills at Southampton Guildhall - unbeatable!

i can confirm that the Wormwood Scrubs Compton is still there and in good form - I am the organ's tuner and keep it maintained. It was installed by Compton's themselves in the early 60s and originally was a cinema organ from the Forum Ealing. The ranks were altered a little - extra diapason added, salicional added, vox removed, tibia (wooden and complete with 16ft biphone pipes) shifted to form a pedal sub bass, acoustic 32ft bass derived from tuba traps and tuned percussion removed except chimes which are still there. Console woodwork was reworked to look more 'churchy'. Generally a very good organ with lots of punch (needed to fill the vast chapel) and quality pipework. Peter

Never mind the Turner Simms Collins - come to the Guildhall instead and experience one of the finest concert instruments in the land. I refer of course to the wonderful Compton dual purpose organ. You could also consider purchasing the new CD, Grand Variety, of virtuoso organist Richard Hills playing this unique instrument. See http://www.ssfweb.co.uk/silverst/html/grand_variety.html

Richard Hills at Southampton Guildhall - June 17th Following on from his Internationally acclaimed CD Grand variety, the superb Richard Hills appears in concert at the amazing Southampton Guildhall Compton on June 17th at 2.30pm. Richard will doubtless perform some tracks from the CD (which will be on sale at the venue) plus other selections. This is your chance to see & hear for yourself what all the fuss has been about! Experience this wonderful musician, who completely and instinctively bridges the divide between classical and theatre organ genres, perform on one of the world's most interesting and musically diverse instruments. More details at www.guildhall-compton.org.uk

Reviews, including the C&O one have now been added to the website: http://www.ssfweb.co.uk/silverst/html/reviews1.html and I've just been told that another glowing review is on its way from top Australian organist Peter Jewkes, which will of course be added to the site. Ordering info is also there. P

The new album from Richard Hills playing Compton's Magnum Opus instrument at Southampton Guildhall has been reviewed in the latest Choir & Organ mag and received a glowing 5-stars! More details here: http://www.ssfweb.co.uk/silverst/html/grand_variety.html If I can work out how to post attachments here I'll upload a screen grab of the review. Best Peter

This is David Shepherd's private house Compton which is made up of several organ's components I believe, including ranks from Wimbledon Town Hall. The console is the ex-Paramount Tottenham Ct Rd one. The whole organ as now assembled is very good indeed. Richard & Simon are indeed masters of versatility.

He has a wonderful way with words, both written and in the flesh, as it were, and I am very grateful indeed to Carlo for lending his support and praise to the album. For a long-standing professional and Internationally respected artist such as he to comment as he has done is, I feel, a great plug for the CD. I'm sure that those of you who purchase the CD or the HD downloads when they become available, will be just as pleased. Richard Hills has excelled himself on this recording and really shows what can be achieved with an organ that contains a fair amount of careful extension and with a large theatre organ. His orchestral transcriptions are superb and his classical performances inspiring, not to mention the lush theatrical registrations, impeccable rhythm playing and sheer excitement of this combination of great artist and great instrument. It was a joy to work with Richard on it, and to record this wonderful instrument that is now in so much better condition than it was. Peter

Dear All Today the eagerly awaited CD of Richard Hills at the Southampton Guildhall Compton is released. This marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Guildhall, on 13th Feb 1937. The title of the album is Grand Variety International organ star Carlo Curley has very kindly undertaken the official review and has provided a glowing report of the new album. More information, including how to purchase the CD and Carlo's review, can be found here: www.ssfweb.co.uk/silverst/html/grand_variety.html Thanks for your interest Peter (Producer)

BTW the Lady Gaga, vid is great - totally agree! P

Thanks for the positive and kind comments. Yes the entire CD tracks have been chosen from British composers, perhaps appropriately for this very British instrument. The organ is indeed on good form, although I ought to point out that it was not fully restored and really the entire thing ought to be releathered. No chance of that though. It does however sound pretty damn good on the CD. Cheers, Peter

Sorry about the text spacing of my post above - it didn't look that when I composed it!

Dear All It gives me great pleasure to announce a forthcoming new CD of Richard Hills at the wonderful Southampton Guildhall Compton. Release date February 2012 on the Silver Street Music label, thus marking the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Guildhall. I am also particularly delighted to announce that Nigel Ogden has very kindly dedicated an entire programme of The Organist Entertains to the Guildhall Compton with a programme that will feature some of the tracks from the new CD plus an interview with Richard Hills and I believe one or two archive tracks of the organ. The programme will air on 10th January. The new CD (as yet untitled) of maestro Richard playing both consoles of this superb dual-purpose instrument, with a selection of theatre organ favourites, orchestral transcriptions and classical masterpieces, is taking shape very well. It will hopefully be the finest recording made to date on this unique and wonderful instrument. UK sales will be via the Silver Street Films website (www.silverst.co.uk) as standard CDs for delivery and probably also as HD audio download (not mp3 though). The tracks on offer will highlight the vast musical range possible on this organ, being a very large theatre organ and a fully-featured classical concert organ in one, and will probably include: Concert overture (Hollins) Elegy (Thalben-Ball) Down the Mall Dancing years selection Cheeky Chappie (Porter-Brown) In Malaga Suite (Curzon) The Girl from Corsica (Duncan) Parade of the Sunbeams (McLean) There will likely be 16 or 17 tracks in total on the CD. See the following websites for more info about the organ and recording session, with photos: www.hws.org.uk www.silverst.co.uk www.guildhall-compton.org.uk Regards Peter

UPDATE - it seems the 16ft Hope-Jones wooden diaphone is now available after all. This is a rare and historic rank - great solid bass for someone's church or theatre organ Peter peter@hws.org.uk

The main ranks left now are the pedal 16ft open wood (HJ), the 16ft bourdon and the 8ft tuba. Doesn't anyone fancy any of these on their church organ or whatever? A shame for them to be scrapped. Peter peter@hws.org.uk

Just to let people know that if anyone wants any ranks from the Hope Jones / HNB organ at Upper Norwood, there are still several available. What isn't found a new home will go on the skip by the end of Feb I'm told. Please contact me for more details - 07768 902876 Peter Hammond HWS Associates