Our Compton Organ

The Compton theatre, church and electronic organs were built by the John Compton Organ Company, originally of Nottingham and later of North Acton, London England. There were more Compton theatre organs installed in British theatres than all the other organ brands
combined! Several Compton organs have found their way to Australia including one in Canberra, one in Western Australia, a few in Victoria, and the one housed at The Majestic Theatre Pomona John Compton was something of a genius in organ design with many of his innovations
appearing in his organs.

The Compton at the Majestic was built for the new Associated British Cinemas (ABC)Regal Cinema at Chester, England, in September 1937 where it remained for thirty-two years. It was a3 manual 6 rank (3-6) instrument Opus No A412,
with approximately 500 pipes. The organ illustrates the development of the theatre organ into a punchy, dance-band-style instrument, with
a high degree of unification, and yet different “chorus” build-ups on each manual. This can be seen in the derivation of the upperworks on each manual.

On the Accompaniment, this is characterised by the 2-ft. Violetta. On the Great, there is also a Tierce and Quartane (19, 22), derived from the Flute. The Solo stops are taken entirely from the solo chamber, with the upperworks derived from the Tibia. This is entirely consistent with Compton’s aim, even on the smallest organs, of providing some degree of tonal variety between the manual choruses.

Although the organ has only six ranks, two of these are extended to full 16-ft. compass, providing a very solid bass. The 32-ft. Acoustic
Bass is another Compton speciality. This is not, like so many of its ilk, a mere 16 + 10 2/3-ft. combination from the Tibia, but in its bottom octave it plays a chord of four harmonics, and, when used with full pedal, provides with uncanny realism the effect of a 32-ft. reed. From Tenor C upwards, the Acoustic Bass sounds the 16-ft. Tuba an octave lower.

Its opening performance at the Regal Cinema (seating capacity of 2500) was in late 1937 by Wilfred Southworth. Over the years a number of organists performed at the Cinema – such as Horace Pilling, Norman Shann, Joseph Storer, Albert Briesley, Frank Gordon and Norman Scott. The organ was removed in 1969 to make room for dressing rooms and more seating; the cinema was demolished in 1972.

In 1970-71, Blair Linnett of Oxley, Brisbane negotiated a price for the organ: It was packed (without the console illuminations and the Melotone unit) into a container on the ‘Australian Endeavour Kanimbla’ and shipped from England to Oxley in Brisbane, Australia in December 1971, where it was stored in the Linnett’s garage. For three years it remained untouched whilst renovations to the garage were undertaken in readiness for the organ’s restoration. Blair extended his garage to form a studio auditorium of some 20,000 cubic feet, with a maximum ceiling height of eighteen feet. He installed the organ at one end of the studio, with the two chambers side by side and the console, with new wooden sides and a bench which he constructed, on a rostrum to the left.

The initial assembly of the organ at Oxley took two years of part-time work – mostly cleaning, repairing and restoring parts. It took a further six and a half years to hear the first sound from the organ, with the last pipe was placed early in 1981.