Bishop Simms (1767 – 30 January 1829) was an English organist and composer.

Background

He was born in 1767, the eldest son of John Simms of Staffordshire. Many of his siblings were also musicians in the Midlands.A Dictionary of Musicians: From the Earliest Ages to the Present. p.436. John S. Sainsbury, Alexandre Choron. 1824 He was appointed as organist of St Philip's Church, Birmingham in succession to Joseph Harris who was appointed to

Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire, England, situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Bles ...

. Bishop Simms was also organist of St. Mary’s Chapel in Birmingham He was a violinist, and one of the orchestra at the Birmingham Festivals from 1805. In 1809 he gave the opening recital on the new Elliot organ in the

Church of St John the Baptist, Bromsgrove The Church of St John the Baptist, Bromsgrove is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Bromsgrove. History The church belonged to a particularly large Parish during the early Norman period. Henry III arranged for the churc ...

. His brother, James Simms, was then the organist at this church for some 45 years. He died in Birmingham in 1829, and his post at St Philip's Church, Birmingham was filled by his nephew.

Appointments

*Organist of St. Mary’s Chapel, Birmingham *Organist of St Philip's Church, Birmingham 1803 - 1829

Compositions

In 1810 he published an adaptation of Haydn's chorus, The Heavens are Telling, from his oratorio, The Creation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Bishop 1767 births 1829 deaths English organists British male organists English composers