THE COMPTON ORGAN

The theatre organs were a product of the silent movie era, when movies were either accompanied by a single pianist or by a small orchestra. As a result of the inventive genius of an English organ builder, Robert Hope-Jones, church organs were adapted for use in theatres. They provided the range of sounds and sound effects produced by an orchestra or band, but had the versatility of being played by a single musician. The theatre organs were developed to a high degree of complexity, with hundreds of pipes, large consoles and special sound effects. After the coming of the "talkies", the organs lost their direct involvement with the presentation of the film, and were used for concerts and to provide pre-show and interval music. However, they were gradually dispensed with from theatres, with many falling into disrepair or removed.

The Ballarat Compton is one such. It is a comparatively late model produced by the John Compton Organ Company, and is dated 21st May 1937. It was originally installed in the ABC Theatre, Warrington, England, which opened as the Ritz Cinema on 23rd August. 1937.

After the Ritz closed as a cinema in the 1960's, the organ was removed and eventually purchased by Mr Bill Witt of Melbourne, who intended to install it in his house. However, in 1972 he sold it, in pieces, to the newly formed Ballarat Organ Society, for $8,500. The Society then undertook a ten year task of reassembling and installing the organ into Ballarat's Memorial Theatre.

It was decided to install the organ underneath the floor of the theatre, since the usual site for the organ chambers, side stage, was required for stage presentations. Society members excavated to a depth of 8 feet to obtain the desired height of 14 feet in the chambers. An hydraulic lift, rising to 14 feet, carries the console, which rises up between the pipe chambers through the floor of the orchestra pit, to stage level. The sound is conveyed upwards through sound chutes from the end of each pipe chamber. The Society raised funds through concerts and other fund-raising efforts, as well as donations and a Government grant. The cost of installation and maintenance to date is approximately $100,000.

Finally, in June, 1982, organ lovers from all over Australia gathered in Ballarat for the Official Opening. The late Hubert Selby, who played the instrument in England 45 years previously, brought up the magnificently restored console. Other organists who performed at the Opening were John Atwell, David Johnston and Cyril Pearl. The Ballarat Compton is one of only five Compton Organs re-installed in Australia and is one of very few theatre organs outside a capital city.

Technical Specifications

The Compton has three 61 note manuals, one 32 note pedalboard and 9 ranks of pipes, together with traps and percussions. Almost 700 pipes are contained in the underground chambers. Some Wurlitzer percussions have since been added and in 1999 modifications were made to add a piano to the organ.