THE THREE MUSKETEERS
——oooOOOooo——
KEITH BECKINGHAM
PAGE 2:
HIS MUSICAL DEBUT
&
THE EMPRESS REED (PUMP) ORGAN
OR
A SECOND USE
FOR YOUR VACUUM CLEANER
-oOo-
Keith’s interest in the Theatre Organ started in his childhood from listening to the BBC Light Programme broadcasts and he quickly got to recognise the various organists by their signature tunes. Later he was able to identify many of the Theatre Organs being played during the programmes and could distinguish between those of the Granada Theatre Tooting, The Tower Ballroom Blackpool, BBC Theatre Organ etc.
Sandy MacPherson (1897-1975) at the BBC Compton Theatre Organ (1939)
Teddy Bears’ Picnic played by Sidney Torch (1908-1990) at the Gaumont State Cinema Kilburn
This is a tune that Sandy MacPherson played many times on his BBC radio programmes
-oOo-
Left: Eric Coates; Centre: Mollie Forbes; Right: Reginald New
Keith heard the Theatre Organ being played live for the first time in the mid-1950s. In 1955, Keith’s father collected him from school one afternoon and they drove to the Regal/ABC Cinema Beckenham where they planned to see The Dam Busters film. It was here that Keith heard Reginald New (1902-1958) playing the cinema’s three-manual Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.
The Dam Busters March conducted by the composer, Eric Coates (1886-1957)
Soon after this, on a trip to the Davis Theatre Croydon, Keith heard Mollie Forbes playing the giant four-manual Compton Theatre Organ. He says that both experiences had a profound impact on him and resulted in his early ambition to become a Theatre Organist.
-oOo-
DEBUT
In 1955, Keith’s father was exhibiting goods from his Stationery Company at the British Industries Fair (BIF) that was being held at Olympia. The Fair allowed British companies to present a comprehensive range of products for sale to prospective buyers. Included at The Fair was a Music section where piano makers and manufacturers of Electric (Electronic) Organs were able to display their instruments and offer demonstrations.
Olympia (opened in 1886)
Top: The Exhibition Halls soon after opening; Bottom Left: Exterior; Bottom Right: The Grand Hall
It was at Olympia, at the BIF, that Keith made his Public Debut at the Electronic Organ at 10-years of age. Keith’s father knew Mr. Leslie Spurling, who was the sales director of The John Compton Organ Company Limited. Mr. Spurling, being aware that Keith was interested in playing the organ and had been attending piano lessons, thought that it might increase sales of his products if a 10-year old schoolboy dressed in school uniform was to demonstrate one. As a result, Keith was invited to demonstrate the new single manual model on display.
Keith Beckingham, age 10, demonstrating a single manual Compton Organ
at the British Industries Fair (BIF) in 1955
Since he was young and had no experience of playing Pedals of an organ, the model chosen for him to play did not have any, but instead was fitted with a Pedal Bass Stop that reproduced the bottom note of any left hand chord at 16′ Pitch.
-oOo-
16′ PITCH – FOOTAGE
Footages relate to the length of pipes required to create the Pitch of the note. The piano plays at Unison Pitch, which would be the equivalent of 8′ on a organ. The shorter the pipe, the higher the Pitch. Therefore, a 4′ will sound one Octave above the piano (Unison) Pitch. Conversely, a 16′ pipe, literally 16 feet in length, will sound an Octave below the piano (Unison) Pitch. Indeed, it is the 16′ Stop played with the Pedals that add the deep, solid bass tones that make organs sound very grand.
The little single manual Compton Electronic Organ chosen for Keith to play at the BIF had a Pedal Bass Stop, which added the deep 16′ Pitch to the lowest note played with the left hand, which would otherwise by played with the Pedals.
-oOo-
The model chosen for the young Keith to demonstrate was designed for home use or for use in a small church or chapel where it would be played by a pianist rather than an organist. Keith played a selection of hymns, Oratorio and some favourite pieces by Ivor Novello (1893-1951). His playing brought crowds of listeners to the area who rewarded his efforts with loud applause.
The Dancing Years by Ivor Novello played by Richard Hills on the Wolverhampton Civic Hall Organ
-oOo-
William Davies at the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ of The Granada Theatre East Ham
William Davies playing September in the Rain at The Granada Theatre Tooting
The official demonstrator at the exhibition was the multi-talented William Davies (1921-2006). Keith admits that Mr. Davies was very kind and considerate to him, as he added some discreet backing to his music using one of the larger models. In addition, Mr. Davies was an early mentor, as he willingly offered suggestions to help him become a better organist. For example, he emphasised the importance of continuing with piano, as well as taking organ lessons and also made the important point that what may well sound good at 10-years of age would not be considered good at 20!
-oOo-
Victoria Palace Theatre
Keith recalls being taken later to the Victoria Palace Theatre to see a show starring The Crazy Gang in which Mr. Davies was playing at the time.
The Crazy Gang
Keith also recalls meeting-up with him later when Robin Richmond (1912-1998) formed the BBC Organ Club and on one occasion playing duets with him using two Hammond Organ Models especially installed for the Club meeting.
Robin Richmond
-oOo-
Such was Keith’s success at Olympia that Mr. Spurling asked him to return to play on three subsequent occasions and his Debut was reported in the local newspaper with the heading: Boy at the Organ Thrills Crowds.
The Report that appeared in The West Kent Mercury on 20 May, 1955
-oOo-
Following Keith’s playing at Olympia, and his ambition to become a Theatre Organist, two factors became evident: firstly, he would benefit from having an organ at home on which to practice; and secondly, he needed to learn to play the Pedals on an organ in order to develop into a proper Organist.
However during the 1950s, the financial cost of purchasing any type of organ for one’s home was beyond the reach of most families. However, Keith’s father, who was known for his ingenuity and technical skills, was able to solve the first problem and so satisfy his son’s needs, at least for the present.
-oOo-
THE MODIFIED EMPRESS REED (PUMP) ORGAN
OR
A SECOND USE FOR YOUR VACUUM CLEANER
Mr. Beckingham managed to find an American Empress Reed (Pump) Organ in a bomb-damaged church and was able to purchase it for the sum of two Guineas (i.e. a Guinea was worth one Pound one Shilling in Old Money (pre-1971) or one Pound five New Pence, £1.05, in today’s currency). Following its purchase, he borrowed a van, and together with Keith, drove it back to the family home in West Wickham, Kent.
An example of a Reed (Pump) Pipe Organ (shown with false pipes)
Keith said that even though the Empress Reed (Pump) Organ was in need of some repair, it still looked majestic with Victorian scrolls, brass candle holders and false or dummy pipes. However, the charm of these features was apparently lost on Keith’s mother who refused to let the instrument into the house! The Organ was henceforth relegated to the garage.
Once installed in the garage, Keith’s father was keen to begin the construction of a Pedal Board to add to the Reed Organ and managed to obtain some Pedals from an organ builder. The Vicar at St. Mary of Nazareth Church gave him permission to take the necessary measurements from the church organ, which would allow him to design the framework with the correct spacing between each Pedal.
To allow a Reed Organ to play, the young Keith would have found it necessary to pump the instrument using both feet. This would have meant that he would not be able to play the Pedals at the same time since he would be pumping! With this sudden realisation, the whole project was brought to a standstill. However, Keith’s father was not daunted, especially once he found that whilst Pipe Organs work on Pressure, American Reed Organs work on suction!
At this time, a family conference took place with the objective of discovering a readily available solution to the problem. In a true Archimedean manner, a Eureka moment occurred when Keith’s father eyed the family Vacuum Cleaner!
Mr. Beckingham solved the problem at hand by simply plugging the Hoover into the back of the Empress Reed (Pump) Organ! In this way, the suction produced by the Vacuum Cleaner allowed it to behave as a Supercharger (i.e. a Supercharger is an air compressor that increases the pressure or density of air supplied to an Internal Combustion Engine or a device like an American Reed (Pump) Organ, as we have seen)!
However, the problem was not entirely solved despite the finding that the Vacuum Cleaner could provide the necessary suction necessary to allow the Organ to be played! The noise from the Hoover was such that it nearly drowned out the sound of the Organ. Mr. Beckingham overcame this annoyance by drilling a hole in the side wall of the garage and then running the hose from the back of Organ to the Hoover now placed in the garden!
Keith’s father had also modified the console of the Empress Reed (Pump) Organ to allow it to have the appearance more in keeping with a modern Electronic Organ.
This unusual, and remarkable, arrangement came to the notice of the local paper who sent a reporter to the Beckingham home to investigate the Hoover-Empress Reed (Pump) Organ for himself. The reporter’s visit resulted in an article being published entitled Vacuum Cleaner Helps Boy Organist Practice.
-oOo-
Keith seated at The Empress Reed (Pump) Organ with Hoover Attachment in 1957
-oOo-
Later, Keith learned that the Theatre Organ installed at Lewisham Concert (Town) Hall (known as The Broadway Theatre since 1987) could be hired by the hour by anyone wishing to play it. Once he learned this, he said that he saved up his pocket money each week and used it to be able to play the three manual fourteen rank dual-purpose Compton Theatre Organ (see Page 3).
The Broadway Theatre Lewisham
-oOo-
What happened next to Keith is truly an example of The Snowball Effect!
——oooOOOooo——
——oooOOOooo——
——oooOOOooo——
——oooOOOooo——
Click here to read about
GRAEME WRIGHT
——oooOOOooo——