St. Paul's Wickford
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St. Paul's Instruments

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. 

Picture
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.

Picture
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. 
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.

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.
Visit St. Paul's
St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Wickford
55 Main Street
North Kingstown, RI 02852
Contact Us
Telephone: 401-294-4357
Email: [email protected]
  • Home
  • About
    • Our People
    • Our Campus
    • Our History
    • Our Future
  • Worship
    • Services
    • Sacraments
    • Music
  • Outreach
    • Pastoral Visits
    • Youth Services
  • Events
  • Support
  • Contact