On March 15, 1957, my grandfather Kenneth Richard Hine Sr. gathered his mother and aunts to record them singing Dutch Psalms, as he accompanied them on organ. The recording includes five psalms, with introductions from Jennie and her sisters explaining why the psalms are meaningful to them. Rounding out the collection are ten Christmas carols.
“I thought that it would be nice if my mother and aunts would come over and record these Dutch psalms because they are practically disappearing. And this is one way that we can have them and record them so that others can hear, after those who know how to sing them are no longer with us.”
Ken Hine Sr., on preserving the family’s Dutch Psalm tradition
Participants:
- Jennie (Smith) Hine
- Tena (Smith) Voss
- Henrietta “Etta” (Smith) Hine
- Garitt Voss
- Kenneth Richard Hine Sr. (organist)
Tracks Overview
Note on numbering: References such as Psalm 716, verses 1–2 follow the Dutch Psalter (Psalmenboek), where each number is a metrical setting arranged for singing, often with multiple stanzas, rather than the biblical Book of Psalms (which contains only 150).
- Psalm 68, verse 10, with intro by Tena (Smith) Voss
- Psalm 42, verse 5, with intro by Jennie (Smith) Hine
- Psalm 716, verses 1–2, with intro by Henrietta (Smith) Hine
- Psalm 84, verse 1
- Intro by Kenneth R. Hine
- The First Noel
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Hark the Herald Angels Sing
- Deck the Halls
- Joy to the World
- Jingle Bells
- I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
- While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night
- Greensleeves
- O Holy Night
Download the Recording
In the future, I hope to make these recordings available for direct online listening. In the meantime, you can download the files (in AIFF format) using the ZIP link below, and explore track details in the accompanying spreadsheet. I want to make these materials available now so that others can access and use them for family history and research before online streaming is ready.
Note on Featured Photo
The photo at the top of the page comes from a collection of scanned slides provided by Janet (Hine) Widell. It is a portrait of the Smith sisters (daughters of Jacob Smith and Agnes Alberda) taken at a 1959 family reunion. Full size image URL: https://flic.kr/p/7ubnUR
