PARAMOUNT CINEMA, TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD, LONDON
Job number A331 was opened at the Paramount Theatre in Tottenham Court Road, London by Reginald Foort in 1936. It was thefirst of the "Paramount Mark 2" models with 10 ranks of
pipes and melotone unit. Of all the Paramount Mark 2 models Compton built, this was surely the most famous, it being bradcast very often by Reginald Foort and later Al Bollington.
This who made very effective use of the melotone which had to be one of the best ever produced. The specification read:
PEDAL ACCOMPANIMENT GREAT SOLO
Acoustic Bass 32' Vox Humana t.c. 16' Trombone 16' Contra Tuba 16'
Tuba Bass 16' Gamba t.c. 16' Contra Tuba 16' Contra Tibia 16'
Diaphone 16' Bourdon 16' Diaphone 16' Gamba t.c. 16'
Contra Tibia 16' Tuba 8' Contra Tibia 16' Trumpet 8'
Bourdon 16' Diapason 8' Gamba t.c. 16' Tuba 8'
Trumpet 8' Tibia 8' Trumpet 8' Diapason 8'
Tuba 8' Vox Humana 8' Tuba 8' Tibia 8'
Octave 8' Clarinet 8' Diapason 8' Vox Humana 8'
Tibia 8' Krummet 8' Tibia 8' Clarinet 8'
Clarinet 8' Gamba 8' Vox Humana 8' Krummet 8'
Cello 8' Celeste 8' Clarinet 8' Gamba 8'
Flute 8' Flute 8' Krummet 8' Celeste 8'
Bass Drum Tap F Clarion 4' Gamba 8' Flute 8'
Bass Drum Tap P Octave 4' Celeste 8' Clarion 4'
Bass Drum Roll Tibia 4' Flute 8' Tibia 4'
Snare Drum Vox Humana 4' Octave Trumpet 4' Gambette 4'
Triangle Gambette 4' Clarion 4' Celeste 4'
Cymbal Tap Celeste 4' Octave 4' Flute 4'
Cymbal Roll Flute 4' Tibia 4' Tibia Twelfth 2.2/3'
Cymbal Crash Twelfth 2.2/3' Gambette 4' Flute Tweldth 2.2/3'
Accompaniment to Pedal Gambette 2' Celeste 4' Ocarina 2'
Great to Pedal Flautino 2' Twelfth 2.2/3' Flautino 2'
Solo to Pedal Marimba 8' Fifteenth 2' Tierce 1.3/5'
Traps to 2nd Touch Vibraphone 4' Flautino 2' Quartane II
Snare Drum Xylophone 4' Xylophone 4'
MANUAL IV Castanets Glockenspiel 4' Glockenspiel 4'
Accomp to Man IV 8' Tambourine Orchestral Bells 4' Orchestral Bells 4'
Accomp to Man IV 4' Wood Block Vibraphone 4' Sub Octave
Great to Man IV 16' Tom-Tom Sub Octave Octave
Great to Man IV 8' Sleigh Bells Octave Unison Off
Great to Man IV 4' Sand Block Solo to Great Melotone 8'
Solo to Man IV 8' Choke Cymbal Melotone 4'
Vibraphone 4' GREAT 2ND TOUCH Melotone Twelfth 2.2/3'
Traps to Man IV ACCOMP 2ND TOUCH Tuba 8' Super Melotone 2'
Trumpet 8' Tibia 8' Krumhorn 8'
TREMULANTS Tuba 8' Solo to Great 8' Cor Anglais 8'
Trumpet-Tuba Tibia 8' Solo to Great 4' Chimes
Tibia Tibia 4' Carillon
Vox Humana-Clarinet-Krummet Solo to Accompaniment 8' TOE PISTON EFFECTS Echo Control
Diapason Solo to Accompaniment 4' Auto Horn Glide
Gamba-Strings Engine Whistle Vibrato
VENTILS Siren Melotone Amplifier Off
SWELL PEDALS CC Tuba-Trumpet Steamboat Whistle
Accompaniment Chamber Tibia Treble Fire Bell STOPKEY EFFECTS
Solo Chamber Tibia Bass Cymbal Roll Surf
Crescendo Gamba-Celeste-Flute Snare Drum Roll-Grand Crash Aeroplane
CCC Flute-CCC Diapason Bird Whistle
Xylophone-Glockenspiel Triangle
ACCESSORIES
10 double touch thumb pistons to Accompaniment
10 double touch thumb pistons to Great
10 double touch thumb pistons to Solo
4 double touch thumb pistons to Manual IV
4 toe pistons to Pedal
Double touch canceller to each department
Voltmeter
The life of this magnificent instrument came to an end in 1959 when the theatre was demolished with the organ still in situ. However, some parts have survived. The console is now
controlling theatre organist David Shepherds home installation and the Tibia is believed to be surviving somewhere.
The Paramount, Tottenham Court Road was one of the 4 famous Paramount models. The first to open was Liverpool and Glasgow in 1934 followed by Tottenham Court Road in 1936.
The final Paramount installation was in 1937 at the Paramount, Birmingham. The 4 instruments were almost identical. The only differences being that liverpool and Glasgow had the
Solo Cello, Violin and English Horn ranks whereas in the case of Tottenham Court Road and Birmingham, Gamba andTrumpet ranks replaced the English Horn and Violin and the Solo
Cello replaced by the Melotone. At Birmingham, the Clarinet rank was ommitted and there was no Great 2nd touch. Although Liverpool, Glasgow and Birmingham all survive, none
remains in original condition. Compton did built other instruments based on the Paramount Mark 2 layout but these didnt feauture the "Paramount Console". For many people, the
Paramount, Tottenham Court Road will always be remembered for being the best and most famous Paramount Compton!
The melotone unit at Totenham Court Road featured the "Glide" effect. Click the following to listen to Al Bollington playing here where he makes good use of this particularly in
"Mood Indigo":
http://theatreorgans.com/southerncross/Radiogram/UKsounds/Bollington%20-%20Blueshades.wma
Information on the Paramount Compton's courtesy of Kevin Grunill.
