John Constable was born in London and studied with Harold Craxton at the Royal Academy of Music of which he is a Fellow. He began his career on the music staff of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He has been principal pianist of the London Sinfonietta since its formation and is also principal harpsichordist of the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. He is a professor at the Royal College of Music, London. He has made a great many recital records of songs and chamber music with distinguished singers and instrumentalists and has accompanied throughout Europe, Japan and the United States.

As a harpsichordist John Constable has recorded for Argo, Capriccio, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Hänssler, Philips and Sony. He has performed and recorded concertos with leading conductors and has played and directed concertos with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and the London Sinfonietta. He played in two Philips cycles of Mozart operas, and performed the Elliott Carter Double Concerto with the London Sinfonietta, the Asko Ensemble and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, most recently at the Elliott Carter festival at the Barbican.