St. Paul's is blessed with several organs and other instruments, all of which support our active music program. Read on for details.
Gallery Organ
St. Paul's Church, Wickford
Stuart Organ Company, 1981
Great Organ
Open Diapason 8
Spire Flute 8
Flute Celeste TC 8
Principal 4
Chimney Flute 4
Fifteenth 2 (by half-drawn Mixture)
Mixture IV
Trumpet 8
Chair Organ:
Stopt Diapason 8
Night Horn 4
Fifteenth 2
Nineteenth 1 1/3
Cremona 8
Pedal Organ
Sub Bass 16
Bassoon 16 (2013: replaces original Choralbass 4)
Mechanical key and stop action
Manuals: 58 notes, rosewood naturals, zebrawood sharps
Pedals: 30 notes, concave and radiating, maple naturals, rosewood capped walnut sharps
Casework of rift sawn white oak
The organ is pitched at A 440 and tuned in Neidhardt "für eine grosse Stadt," a temperament that is playable in all keys, yet provides "key color" so that, for example, C-major has a different quality than B-major.
St. Paul's Church, Wickford
Stuart Organ Company, 1981
Great Organ
Open Diapason 8
Spire Flute 8
Flute Celeste TC 8
Principal 4
Chimney Flute 4
Fifteenth 2 (by half-drawn Mixture)
Mixture IV
Trumpet 8
Chair Organ:
Stopt Diapason 8
Night Horn 4
Fifteenth 2
Nineteenth 1 1/3
Cremona 8
Pedal Organ
Sub Bass 16
Bassoon 16 (2013: replaces original Choralbass 4)
Mechanical key and stop action
Manuals: 58 notes, rosewood naturals, zebrawood sharps
Pedals: 30 notes, concave and radiating, maple naturals, rosewood capped walnut sharps
Casework of rift sawn white oak
The organ is pitched at A 440 and tuned in Neidhardt "für eine grosse Stadt," a temperament that is playable in all keys, yet provides "key color" so that, for example, C-major has a different quality than B-major.
Chamber Organ
Old Narragansett Church, Wickford
George Dallam (?) c.1660
Restored by Stuart Organ Co. 1983
Stopt Diapason 8
Principal 4
Mixture II (bass and treble divided c/#c)
The organ is tuned in quarter comma meantone at A 425 with a short octave in the bass, and is winded by foot-operated alternating wedge bellows which are largely original. About half of the pipework is from the early 17th century with the remainder newly constructed replicas based on the extant material. Most stiles and rails of the lower case and the rear panel date from ca. 1660; the rear panel of upper case from ca. 1680. The remainder of the the casework is replicated from the Mander example, with carving by Dimitrios Klitsas and ironsmithing by Bruce Walker.
This is believed to be the oldest organ in use for church services in the United States. Hear it played on National Public Radio.
Continuo Organ
Gyula Vági, 2019
Gedackt 8
Flauto 4
Principal 2
Transposing keyboard (415-440-466)
This little and portable organ can be moved to the chapel for smaller services there. In addition we use this for Evensong and other services when the Choir sings from the front of the nave. It also comes in handy as a continuo instrument for performances of Baroque music.
Gyula Vági, 2019
Gedackt 8
Flauto 4
Principal 2
Transposing keyboard (415-440-466)
This little and portable organ can be moved to the chapel for smaller services there. In addition we use this for Evensong and other services when the Choir sings from the front of the nave. It also comes in handy as a continuo instrument for performances of Baroque music.
Harpsichord
Glenn Giuttari, 1991
Single manual, after Franco-Flemish design 8x2, buff
We often use this instrument during Sunday services, and it sees much use in concerts at the church.
The Latin mottos on the lid can be rendered thus:
Dum spiro spero
"While I breathe, I hope"
Attributed to St. Andrew
Sumus qui musicen ministrant et somnia somniunt
"We are the music makers and the dreamers of dreams"
From Arthur O'Shaughnessey, "Ode," Music and Moonlight (1874). The first stanza of the poem reads:
We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;--
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
Glenn Giuttari, 1991
Single manual, after Franco-Flemish design 8x2, buff
We often use this instrument during Sunday services, and it sees much use in concerts at the church.
The Latin mottos on the lid can be rendered thus:
Dum spiro spero
"While I breathe, I hope"
Attributed to St. Andrew
Sumus qui musicen ministrant et somnia somniunt
"We are the music makers and the dreamers of dreams"
From Arthur O'Shaughnessey, "Ode," Music and Moonlight (1874). The first stanza of the poem reads:
We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;--
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
Grand Piano
St. Paul's Church, Chapter Room
Schimmel
The piano lives in the Chapter Room at St. Paul's, where it sees much use in choir rehearsals and occasional recitals held there.
St. Paul's Church, Chapter Room
Schimmel
The piano lives in the Chapter Room at St. Paul's, where it sees much use in choir rehearsals and occasional recitals held there.
