Me playing the organ at St John's Catholic Church in Stevenston near Ardrossan, Ayrshire.
The organ was built in 1963 for the then new church by the John Compton Organ Company Ltd and is the rare 'Augmentum' model of which only a handful were built. The Augmentum was a small model of instrument with all pipework unenclosed and used a console which the company were using for the 357 and 363 electrone models at the time. The idea of the Augmentum was for churches with a budget. The organs were installed with the great and pedal divisions with a swell division prepared for but which pipework could be added at a later date. This was the case here at Stevenston where the organ was installed with no swell but which was added by Michael Macdonald using pipework from previous Compton organs. The specification reads:
PEDAL
Bourdon 16'
Flute 8'
Tromba 16'
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
GREAT
Open Diapason 8'
Hohl Flute 8'
Octave 4'
Fifteenth 2'
Swell to Great
SWELL
Hohl Flute 8'
Salicional 8'
Flute 4'
Salicet 4'
Echo Cymbale III
Tromba Bass 16'
Tromba Minor 8'
Tromba Octave 4'
Tremulant
ACCESSORIES
4 double touch thumb pistons to Great and Pedal
4 double touch thumb pistons to Swell and Pedal
1 canceller thumb piston - Great to Pedal
1 canceller thumb piston - Swell to Pedal
1 general cancel thumb piston
For this first video I am playing the hymn 'In Christ there is no east or west' to the Scottish tune 'Kilmarnock'.
Many thanks to the church officials for allowing me access to this rare Compton 'Augmentum' model organ.
For more information on the John Compton Organ Company Ltd and to see me play other Compton organs, please click on the following link for my site dedicated to the John Compton Organ Company Ltd:
http://comptonorgans.yolasite.com/
REQUEST: I am always on the lookout for Compton organs to play - particularly electrones - so if you know of any churches which still have these then please do let me know. I will happily give a donation or pay any applicable room hire charge.
