Career
Smith born as Bernhardt Schmidt in Halle, Germany, served his apprenticeship in Germany before emigrating to England in 1667. The rivalry between Smith and Harris led to the famous Battle of the Organs in 1684, when both were bidding for the contract to build the new organ for the Temple Church, London. Each man erected an organ in the Temple Church and then hired prominent organists to demonstrate the superiority of their instrument.
Remnants of Smith organs survive at various places in the United Kingdom, though most survivals comprise only the casework.
The organ that is now contained in this case (by Metzler, 1975) contains a number of restored Smith ranks. Another surviving example of his work is in Street Paul"s pro-cathedral, Malta.
This organ originated in Chester Cathedral before being installed in Malta in 1844.