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DINGLES COMPTON VTPO
ONE YEAR OLD!
ONE YEAR OLD!
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The current set-up at Dingles showing the console on plinth with display-only State Dartford/Gunton Hall percussions hiding VTPO speakers. Centre top is the Melotone speaker.
August 1st 2009 was the first anniversary of our marvellous achievement of getting the first ever “Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ playing from a vintage theatre organ console. With sounds generated via the Hauptwerk computer programme and the Neil Jensen “Connoisseur” 3/11 sample set, the organ speaks via an array of 10 loudspeakers hidden behind the curtains and behind the Compton pipe organ percussions. The sound of the virtual organ, complete with authentic sounding blower and tremulant noise, is extremely life like – even fooling a visiting organ builder into asking to see the pipe chambers!
Several visiting organists have complimented us on the sound of the organ and it has been our pleasure to welcome Trevor Bolshaw, Graeme Wright, Stephen Dutfield, Chris Barber and our own “Mr President” Jonathan Mann, to play for visitors to Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre.
Some sad news and some good news………
R.I.P. Ursula Creber
We are sorry to learn of the passing, on Christmas Eve 2009, of Ursula Creber, who was resident organist at the State Dartford from 1940 –1942. At the time of the appointment she was the youngest lady theatre organist in the country.
Born in Bristol in 1922, Ursula appeared at several west country cinemas including the New Palace Bristol, with its Christie theatre organ. She also was resident at the Commodore, Orpington in the 1930s, and was the pianist with the Ivy Benson Band.
Post-war, she settled in Ashton-under-Lyme and was resident organist at the British Legion in Pendelbury, Lancashire, for about 30 years and then at the Greengate Public House, Oldham.
Pipe Organ Build at Dingles!
We are very pleased and most grateful that the Fairground Heritage Trust at Dingles are now able to offer us the space to build the ex-State Dartford/ex-Gunton Hall Lowestoft pipe organ. This has been made possible by the regrettable departure of the live steam exhibits at Dingles. Running costs, operational, maintenance and health and safety considerations all conspired against the continuation of the steam displays, and but one of the exhibits have now been removed to new homes. The space created has allowed Dingles to re-arrange their floor plan and “group” their other displays. This will allow the far corner (where the organ was originally stored when it arrived from Lowestoft in December 2006) to be used for the pipe organ chambers, in zone dedicated to cinematographic/bioscope exhibits.
The pipe organ will be built as an exhibit itself – with a “shop window” in the front of the chambers so that visitors can get a good idea of the internal workings of a theatre pipe organ. The first stages of construction will entail building the chambers and blower room, and getting the blower working so that we can start testing through all the windchests we restored – every pallet motor was re-leathered and may pallets replaced. We can be certain that not all of them will be bedded down accurately over the holes they close, so there are bound to be many leaks (which translates into loss of wind power, cyphering pipes and an almighty row!!) So we look forward to many months of troubleshooting as the pipe organ takes shape.
We remain most grateful to Dingles-FHT for their help and support over the years. We in turn trust that our presence and the presentation of our own displays plus the working VTPO, has proved a worthy attraction of great interest to the many visitors to Dingles. The pipe organ, as it takes shape towards a playable state, can only build on our achievements to-date.
