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John Abbey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Abbey (Born Whilton, Northamptonshire, Dec. 22, 1785; Died Versailles, Feb. 19, 1859) was an English organ builder. The son of a local joiner, he first learned his father's trade. Against his family's wishes he was apprenticed while still in his youth to the organ builder James Davis and later joined in partnership with Hugh Russell. Abbey became acquainted with Sébastien Erard in London and went to France to build an organ for the 1827 Industrial Exhibition at the Louvre, which was later moved to the Paris Conservatoire (before 1864). Settling first in Paris, and later in Versailles, he received a royal commission to build an organ for the chapel of the Legion d'Honneur at St. Denis and another for the chapel of the Palais des Tuileries (1827), which was badly damaged during the 1830 Revolution. In 1831 with Meyerbeer's protection Abbey was employed to build the organ of the Paris Opera (destroyed by fire, 1873). These instruments were the first in France to be fitted with free reeds, a Venetian swell, inverted‑rib bellows (invented by the clock maker Cumming) and composition pedals. Another innovation was Abbey's small organ built in the chancel of St. Etienne‑du‑Mont, Paris (1829), which initiated the French tradition of the orgues du choeur for accompaniment purposes, as opposed to the larger instruments to be found in west‑end galleries. Such innovations, together with Abbey's reputation for fine craftsmanship and voicing, quickly established a fame overshadowed only by Cavaille‑Coll, with whom he competed unsuccessfully for the building of the new organ at St Denis (1833). Abbey built large new gallery organs for the cathedrals at Amiens (1833), Tulle (the 1839 Exhibition organ for which he won first prize), Bayeux (1843), La Rochelle, Rennes, Viviers and Chalons‑sur‑Marne (the last two survive in their original form), and restored those of the cathedrals at Mende (1835‑9), Reims (c.1845), Evreux (destroyed 1944), Moulins and Nevers (later superseded). Other restorations include those at St. Etienne‑du‑Mont, St. Philippe‑du‑Roule (1834) and Notre Dame de l'Assomption in Paris and the parish church of Sedan. He established smaller, one‑ or two‑manual (keyboard) gallery or chancel organs in churches, chapels and convents throughout France, notably at Versailles Cathedral (1837, chancel organ), Versailles Hospital chapel, Houdan (chancel organ), Neauphle‑le‑Chateau (1845), Jouyen‑Josas and in Paris at St. Nicolas‑des‑Champs, Ste Elisabeth, St Thomas d'Aquin and St. Medard (chancel organs). He also developed a trade in chamber organs and exported small‑scale instruments as far as Chile. He was competent as a teacher and many builders were trained by him and followed his principles. After Abbey's death, the business was successfully continued by his two sons, Edwin (1840‑95) and John‑Albert (1843‑1930) and his grandson John‑Marie (1886‑1931), after whose death after the firm closed down in 1935. |
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