Recently I visited St. John’s Episcopal Church in the hamlet of Oakdale on Long Island’s south shore. This little congregation has the distinction of being the second oldest church in Suffolk County, and the present building predates the American Revolution. It was an interesting visit, not only because of the church’s age, but because of the likelihood that some of the earliest Dutch settlers to West Sayville, c. 1850, first worshiped with the Episcopalians in Oakdale before starting their own Reformed church in West Sayville in 1866.
In the back of the church is a tiny pipe organ built by George Jardine of New York, also around 1850. With one manual and three stops, an instrument like that doesn’t have a lot of versatility. But its tone is sweet and clear, perfect for the size of the sanctuary in which it is located. And it seemed fitting to play a Genevan tune, since it was the Dutch who brought the Genevan psalm tunes with them to New York.
The Genevan tune of Psalm 12 is included in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. This psalm is a cry of outrage and distress to a God of justice in the midst of a crooked and troubled world. The final stanza is a fitting refrain for the church today:
O LORD, you will preserve your people always,
and from this evil age keep us secure;
on ev’ry side the wicked strut and swagger,
as people honor all that is impure.
–MRK
Beautifully done!
Do you have other recordings of this organ you plan to share, or is this the only one?
There’s one more which will be up in a few weeks!
I just saw the second upload today.
I know next to nothing about the organ as an instrument — only that I enjoy listening to organ music — but there’s something charming about the simplicity of this instrument.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your recordings; I pray that your playing may help to bring God to mind for those who listen and bring him greater glory.
Thanks, Charles! I am glad they are a blessing.
Michael