  The aim of the COMPASS hadron programme is to study the light-quark hadron
spectrum, and in particular, to search for evidence of hybrids and glueballs.
COMPASS is a fixed-target experiment at the CERN SPS and features a two-stage
spectrometer with high momentum resolution, large acceptance, particle
identification and calorimetry. A short pilot run in 2004 resulted in the
observation of a spin-exotic state with $J^{PC} = 1^{-+}$ consistent with the
debated $\pi1(1600)$. In addition, Coulomb production at low momentum transfer
data provide a test of Chiral Perturbation Theory. During 2008 and 2009, a
world leading data set was collected with hadron beam which is currently being
analysed. The large statistics allows for a thorough decomposition of the data
into partial waves. The COMPASS hadron data span over a broad range of channels
and shed light on several different aspects of QCD.
