Hugh Banton
Encyclopedia
Hugh Robert Banton is a British organist and organ
builder, most widely known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator
in the 1970s.
and organ at Wakefield Cathedral
, whilst attending Silcoates School
in Yorkshire
under Dr Percy G. Saunders. He then trained as a television engineer at the BBC
before joining Van der Graaf Generator in May 1968. In performance with this group he played Farfisa
and Hammond
organs, adding a wide range of effects including phasing, tape echo, distortion and overdrive. He later modified a Hammond E112 organ to allow separate amplification, with different effects, of the output from the two keyboards and pedalboard, and added a remote reverb
unit. He also played piano
and bass guitar
on recordings.
In 1975 he began building a custom organ based on a Hammond but with added electronic oscillators to closely approximate a full pipe organ
sound, with bass notes down to 16 Hz played through 24-inch subwoofer
s.
Banton left Van der Graaf Generator at the end of 1976 to work on the development, design and installation of electronic church organs for the Makin Organs company in Oldham
, Lancashire
. In 1992 he set up The Organ Workshop, at Lymm
in Cheshire
. His organs use digitally generated waveforms to emulate the sound of pipe organ stops, and a recent speciality is combining digitally generated organ stops within conventional wind-driven pipe organs, to create a larger hybrid instrument. His company have installed organs of all sizes both in the UK and abroad.
He has continued to contribute to recordings by former members of Van der Graaf Generator, and a reunion of the group in 2005 that continues as a trio with Peter Hammill
and Guy Evans
.
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
builder, most widely known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator
Van der Graaf Generator
Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s...
in the 1970s.
Career
Banton studied pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and organ at Wakefield Cathedral
Wakefield Cathedral
Wakefield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of All Saints Wakefield is the cathedral for the Church of England's Diocese of Wakefield and is the seat of the Bishop of Wakefield. The cathedral has Anglo Saxon origins and the tallest cathedral spire in Yorkshire...
, whilst attending Silcoates School
Silcoates School
Silcoates School is a public school in Wakefield, England. It was founded in 1820 as the Northern Congregational School at Silcoates House, for the board and education of the sons of non-conformist clergy; it was located close to Ossett and Horbury, which both had unusually large nonconformist...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
under Dr Percy G. Saunders. He then trained as a television engineer at the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
before joining Van der Graaf Generator in May 1968. In performance with this group he played Farfisa
Farfisa
Farfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy.The Farfisa brand name is commonly associated with a series of compact electronic organs, and later, a series of multi-timbral synthesizers. At the height of its production, Farfisa operated three factories to produce instruments, in...
and Hammond
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
organs, adding a wide range of effects including phasing, tape echo, distortion and overdrive. He later modified a Hammond E112 organ to allow separate amplification, with different effects, of the output from the two keyboards and pedalboard, and added a remote reverb
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
unit. He also played piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on recordings.
In 1975 he began building a custom organ based on a Hammond but with added electronic oscillators to closely approximate a full pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
sound, with bass notes down to 16 Hz played through 24-inch subwoofer
Subwoofer
A subwoofer is a woofer, or a complete loudspeaker, which is dedicated to the reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies known as the "bass". The typical frequency range for a subwoofer is about 20–200 Hz for consumer products, below 100 Hz for professional live sound, and below...
s.
Banton left Van der Graaf Generator at the end of 1976 to work on the development, design and installation of electronic church organs for the Makin Organs company in Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. In 1992 he set up The Organ Workshop, at Lymm
Lymm
Lymm is a large village and civil parish within the Warrington borough of Cheshire, in North West England. Lymm was an urban district of Cheshire from 1894 to 1974. The civil parish of Lymm incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. His organs use digitally generated waveforms to emulate the sound of pipe organ stops, and a recent speciality is combining digitally generated organ stops within conventional wind-driven pipe organs, to create a larger hybrid instrument. His company have installed organs of all sizes both in the UK and abroad.
He has continued to contribute to recordings by former members of Van der Graaf Generator, and a reunion of the group in 2005 that continues as a trio with Peter Hammill
Peter Hammill
Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano...
and Guy Evans
Guy Evans
Guy Randolph Evans is an English progressive rock drummer, percussionist and composer, and a member of Van der Graaf Generator....
.
Solo
- J.S. Bach - The Goldberg Variations (organ) (2003)
- Gustav Holst - The Planets (organ) (2009)
Van der Graaf Generator
- Aerosol Grey Machine (1969)
- The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each OtherThe Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each OtherThe Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other is the second album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in 1970. The album was reissued in re-mastered form, with two bonus tracks, in 2005....
(1970) - H to He, Who Am the Only OneH to He, Who Am the Only OneH to He, Who Am the Only One is the third album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was released in 1970.During the recording of the album, Nic Potter quit the band. Organist Hugh Banton offered to play bass guitar on the two tracks that had not yet been finished. In...
(1970) - Pawn HeartsPawn HeartsPawn Hearts is the fourth album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released in October 1971. The album reached number 1 on Italian album charts.-Differences between the European and North American releases:...
(1971) - GodbluffGodbluffGodbluff is the first record released by Van der Graaf Generator after they reformed in 1975. It is their fifth disc overall.It features a tighter, more pared-down sound than the band's earlier recordings with John Anthony. Hammill makes extensive use of the Hohner Clavinet D6 electromechanical...
(1975) - Still LifeStill Life (Van der Graaf Generator album)Still Life is an album by Van der Graaf Generator. It was originally released in 1976. One bonus track was added for the 2005 rerelease. The album cover shows a Lichtenberg figure....
(1976) - World RecordWorld Record (album)World Record is an album by Van der Graaf Generator. It was originally released in 1976. Bonus tracks were added for the 2005 rerelease.It was the last album recorded by the classic line-up of the band until their 2005 reunion: Banton and Jackson departed in 1976, but Hammill and Evans carried on,...
(1976) - Time VaultsTime VaultsTime Vaults is an album by Van der Graaf Generator. It was originally released in 1982 on cassette only. It contains out-takes and rehearsal recordings from the period 1972-1975, when the band was on hiatus. The recordings "are not studio-quality recordings". It was released almost four years after...
(1982) - Maida ValeMaida Vale (album)Maida Vale is an album by Van der Graaf Generator, recorded live-in-the-studio at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios. It contains eight songs from four different recordings from BBC sessions in 1971, 1975 and 1976...
(1994) - Present (2005)
- Real TimeReal Time (Van der Graaf Generator album)Real Time is a live album by Van der Graaf Generator, released in 2007 on Fie! Records . It contains the entire recording of the group's reunion concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, England on 6 May 2005...
(2007) - TrisectorTrisectorTrisector is a studio album by the British rock group Van der Graaf Generator. It was released on Virgin/EMI Records in March 2008. It is an important release for Van der Graaf Generator because it is the first album the band recorded as a trio...
(2008) - A Grounding in NumbersA Grounding in NumbersA Grounding in Numbers is a studio album by the British rock group Van der Graaf Generator. It was released on 14 March 2011. This date, if written as 3,14, comprises the first three digits of the number π. The second track, "Mathematics", refers to Euler's identity, sometimes known as the...
(2011)
Other Collaborations
- Fool's MateFool's Mate (album)Fool's Mate is the debut solo album by Peter Hammill of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. The title is both a chess and tarot reference. It was produced by Trident Studios' in-house producer John Anthony. The album was recorded in 1971, in the midst of one of Van der Graaf Generator's...
(Peter HammillPeter HammillPeter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano...
) (1971) - Chameleon in the Shadow of the NightChameleon in the Shadow of the NightChameleon in the Shadow of the Night was the second solo album by British singer-songwriter Peter Hammill. It followed in the aftermath of the breakup of Hammill's band Van der Graaf Generator, although the other members of Van der Graaf Generator all perform on the album, blurring the distinction...
(Peter Hammill) (1973) - The Long HelloThe Long HelloThe Long Hello is a studio instrumental album by David Jackson, Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and Nic Potter recorded in August 1973 and released in Italy in 1974...
(Hugh Banton, Guy EvansGuy EvansGuy Randolph Evans is an English progressive rock drummer, percussionist and composer, and a member of Van der Graaf Generator....
, David JacksonDavid Jackson (rock musician)David Nicholas George Jackson , nicknamed Jaxon, is a British progressive rock saxophonist, flautist, and composer. He is best known for his work with the band Van der Graaf Generator and his work in Music and Disability...
, Nic PotterNic PotterNic Potter is a British bassist, composer and painter, best known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator in the 1970s.-Career:...
) (1973) - The Silent Corner and the Empty StageThe Silent Corner and the Empty StageThe Silent Corner and the Empty Stage is the third album by British singer-songwriter Peter Hammill. It was released on Charisma Records in 1974, during a hiatus in the activities of Hammill's progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator...
(Peter Hammill) (1974) - Nadir's Big ChanceNadir's Big ChanceNadir's Big Chance was the fifth solo album by Peter Hammill, released on Charisma Records in 1975.It was recorded shortly after a decision to re-form the band Van der Graaf Generator , and Nadir's Big Chance is actually performed by the reformed Van der Graaf Generator line-up.The album's songs...
(Peter Hammill) (1975) - Psi-Fi (Seventh Wave) (1975)
- The Love Songs (Peter Hammill) (1984)
- Skin (Peter Hammill) (1985)
- Gentlemen Prefer Blues (Hugh Banton, Guy Evans, David Jackson) (1985)
- Everyone You HoldEveryone You HoldEveryone You Hold is an album by Peter Hammill, released in 1997.-Track listing:All tracks written by Peter Hammill except where noted.# "Everyone You Hold" – 5:59# "Personality" Everyone You Hold is an album by Peter Hammill, released in 1997.-Track listing:All tracks written by Peter Hammill...
(Peter Hammill) (1997) - The Union Chapel ConcertThe Union Chapel ConcertThe Union Chapel Concert is a live album by Guy Evans and Peter Hammill, recorded in the Union Chapel in London, 3 November 1996, and released as a double CD in March 1997...
(Guy Evans, Peter Hammill) (1997) - Curly's AirshipsCurly's AirshipsCurly's Airships is a double CD by Judge Smith, released in October 2000. Smith regards the album as a new form of narrative rock music, which he calls "songstory". Curly's Airships tells about the R101 airship, crashing in France during its maiden overseas voyage in 1930...
(Judge SmithJudge SmithChristopher John Judge Smith , is a songwriter, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Initially working under the name Chris Judge Smith, he has been known simply as Judge Smith since 1994.- Early years :In 1967, with Peter Hammill, Judge...
) (2000)