John Bishop Organ Consultation

John Bishop writes a monthly column in THE DIAPASON, one of the principal American periodicals dedicated to the work and interests of organists and organ builders. A recent issue has attracted a lot of attention as it describes some of the factors that determine the price of a pipe organ. Here it is, for your interest: In the wind April, 2018...Continue reading

I'm just back from a week in Canada, where it was a thrill to participate in the Montreal Organ Festival. I presented a lecture on the history of pipe organ stop action, with Pythagoras and broccoli as sub-plots. I first gave this talk at the Presidents' Day Conference of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. I'd be happy to discuss presenting it again. Look forward to hearing from you.

John Bishop contributes an essay to THE DIAPASON monthly. Here is his from the May 2017 issue. Music in terrible times. This will be our response to violence: to make music more intensively, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before. -Leonard Bernstein...Continue reading

I'm in Richmond, Virginia this week to assess an organ with an eye toward recommendations for a renovation program. There's a long history of proposed additions, including a contracted project that took too long, but came out pretty well. If the organ in your church is raising questions, send me a message. I'm ready to help.

Might never see the light of day. Here's a big Spencer Orgoblo, now sold to a client, and awaiting shipment. Recently, we've been involved in several Blower Room projects, involving cleaning rooms, and covering blowers for protection from dust during basement renovation projects. Along with fire and water, dust is one of the worst enemies of a pipe organ, and perhaps the most elusive, because only the organbuilder knows how the tiniest fleck can cause a cipher or silence ...a reed pipe, lurking in a corner inside the organ's mechanisms, waiting for the worst possible time to appear. Sometimes, that kind of damage happens years after the event that caused it. It's essential that a blower room be kept clean, and that the blower be prevented from "inhaling" particulates that would cause damage. Give us a call if your church is contemplating work in the vicinity of the organ blower - we'll be happy to advise. PM, or 617-688-9290