JohnAbbey(1785-1859)wasanEnglishorganbuilder,who wenttoParisin1825ontheinvitationofSébastienÉrard, thecelebratedharpandpianofortemaker,toworkupon severalorganswhichÉrardhaddesigned,e.g.anorganfor theExhibitionoftheProductionsofNationalIndustryin 1827 which won the Grand Médaille d’or.AbbeybecamesoonaleadingorganbuilderinFranceand elsewhere.HebuiltthefirstchoirorganinParis(atSt.Etienne-du-Mont).Thefirmwaswell-knowninthe1920’sasbuilderofcinema-organs. JohnAbbeyintroducedseveralinnovative techniquesfromEngland,amongwhich theswellcase(!),abalancedkey-action, pedalcontrolsforchangingthestops, freereeds,theDulcianastopandan improvedwindingsystem(bellows invented by Cummins). Afterhisdeathin1859,thefirmwas continuedbyhistwosons,Eugène (Edwin)Abbey(1840-1895)andJohnAlbertAbbey(1843-1930). Eugène'ssonJohn-MarieAbbey(1886-1931)wasthelastbuilderin the family; the firm closed in 1935.ThemostimportantorganofAbbeyintheParisianregionisthe organsofStVincent-de-PaulinClichy-la-Garenne(asuburbofParis), which is still in its original state.
JohnAbbey(1785-1859)wasanEnglishorganbuilder,who wenttoParisin1825ontheinvitationofSébastienÉrard, thecelebratedharpandpianofortemaker,toworkupon severalorganswhichÉrardhaddesigned,e.g.anorganfor theExhibitionoftheProductionsofNationalIndustryin 1827 which won the Grand Médaille d’or.AbbeybecamesoonaleadingorganbuilderinFranceand elsewhere.HebuiltthefirstchoirorganinParis(atSt.Etienne-du-Mont).Thefirmwaswell-knowninthe1920’sasbuilderofcinema-organs. JohnAbbeyintroducedseveralinnovativetechniquesfromEngland, amongwhichtheswellcase(!),abalancedkey-action,pedalcontrols forchangingthestops,freereeds,theDulcianastopandan improved winding system (bellows invented by Cummins). Afterhisdeathin1859,thefirmwascontinuedbyhistwosons, Eugène(Edwin)Abbey(1840-1895)andJohnAlbertAbbey(1843-1930).Eugène'ssonJohn-MarieAbbey(1886-1931)wasthelast builder in the family; the firm closed in 1935.ThemostimportantorganofAbbeyintheParisianregionisthe organsofStVincent-de-PaulinClichy-la-Garenne(asuburbofParis), which is still in its original state.