Make
a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness:
come
before his presence with singing.
Psalms 100:1-2
Organ
Celebration & Blessing |
St. Joseph's is about to celebrate the gift of a rare 140-year-old organ donated by a Virginia church.
The April 19 celebration will include the blessing of the historic organ and a reception with refreshments. Guest organists will demonstrate the instrument's capabilities during the celebration. "It's going to be a fun time for everyone to see it and enjoy it," said Marsha Meador, St. Joseph's music director. The public is invited to the celebration, which begins at 10:30 a.m.
The Jardine & Sons tracker organ, built in 1867, has more than 800 pipes and is completely mechanical apart from the air blower. It would have cost about $3,000 in the late 1860s. "It's either the third- or fourth-oldest organ in the state of Tennessee," Meador said.
George Jardine, an immigrant from England who had been trained in organ building, began his own business in the attic of his New York City home in 1836. He became one of the best-known and widely respected organ builders of his time. The organ now at St. Joseph's was built for the chapel of St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C., and remained in regular use there until the building was demolished in 1956. The organ was then put in storage
When Salisbury Presbyterian Church in Salisbury, Va. prepared to build a new sanctuary in 1980, the Jardine organ underwent a two-year restoration. It remained at the Virginia church for a quarter of a century.
As the Salisbury church was looking for a new home for the organ, St. Joseph's was seeking a replacement for its own. Last year, the Virginia church generously donated the Jardine organ to St. Joseph's. A team from the Sevierville church traveled to Salisbury to help dismantle the organ, under the supervision of Brad Rule of Newmarket, Tenn., who then restored the organ and oversaw its erection in the choir loft of St. Joseph's.
St. Joseph's congregation has been enjoying the Jardine organ since last fall. Despite some changes to the instrument, to this day the sound remains essentially the same as 140 years ago, experts say.
Guest organists at the April 19 celebration will include Rule and the Salisbury church organist, as well as local musicians.