Pipeorgan Presentations

Renaissance

Available on CD

CD $17

UK Customers Only (PPD): CD 12 GBP

Don Thompson's favorite arrangements (as found on his many Theatre Pipe Organ CDs) are recreated on the Allen Renaissance™ 311 organ

These arrangements have been featured and enjoyed at many theatre organ concerts and many, oddly enough, were originally written as examples for students. Here are comments on just some of them. The late organist Walter Freed wrote Don’s Theme in 1974 for Don to use as a console raiser. Our artist’s first exposure to the organ at the age of about three was not to a theatre organ but to a band organ or fairground organ that played from perforated rolls. Among the tunes it played was the overture to Beautiful Galathea by Franz von Suppe.

The Phantom Brigade is Don’s favorite march, which he first heard in a broadcast by Reginald Dixon, the famous Blackpool organist, in 1956.

Rosalie/I Double Dare You is a direct recreation of the Dixon 78 rpm recording of 1938. Also in 1938 Dixon recorded Love Makes The World Go Round and Change Partners. It was in 1938 that Don first heard Dixon playing at the Tower Ballroom and it was this kind of playing that inspired him to become an organist himself, so infectious was the rhythm.

If was written by the 70s rock group Bread and is a classic of the genre and adapts beautifully to the theatre organ.

The “Night and Day” arrangement was originally by Peter Nero, and was written for piano but Don has adapted it for organ and considerably added to it.

“Let’s Face The Music” is a re-creation of a George Wright recording of the seventies, on his “George Wright At The Movies” album. Most American organists admired and were influenced by George Wright and Don is no exception.

“12th Street Rag” is a nod to Sidney Torch, who made a fine recording of it in the 30’s, however, Don has added his own touches, such as the reed solo as used by the Pee Wee Hunt band, and the wah-wah trumpet chorus, which is a trick that no one else seems to use.

“While We’re Young” similarly owes something to George Wright and also to Judy Garland, who recorded it at The Palace on Broadway.

“Sweet Georgia Brown” and Bill Bailey are two of Don’s inimitable British-style arrangements, whereas the famous Hammond player Ethel Smith first popularized “Tico Tico”.

Finally, there are three more serious pieces. Don first learned the Debussy Arabesque at 13, on the piano and it remains his favorite piano piece. BBC radio listeners voted his version of it on his LP Album “Toccata” which he recorded on a 134 rank church organ in Canada in 1980 as the “classical record of the year.”

Don is also still a church organist and likes to play a postlude that has some connection with the closing hymn. Two of his favorites are here, Paul Manz’s spirited arrangement of “Joyful, Joyful” and Virgil Fox’ famous version of Bach’s Cantata 79, "Now Thank We All Our God.”

Allen Theatre organs are widely acclaimed for their accuracy in reproducing the authentic sound of the theatre pipe organ. These organs start with the finest theatre pipe organ samples, including the attack, steady state and decay. When combined with authentic digitally sampled theatre organ tremulants, this creates a magnificent ensemble that is unmatched.

Samples are taken from many theatre pipe organs sampled for the express purpose of acquiring the finest sample library available.

For the many professional theatre organists who own Allen theatre organs, these instruments have been a dream fulfilled.