The Great Stalacpipe Organ

The world's only Stalacpipe Organ that plays its hauntingly beautiful music on natural formations is an electrically actuated lithophone located in Luray Caverns. It is operated by a custom console that produces the tapping of ancient stalactites of varying sizes with solenoid-actuated rubber mallets in order to produce tones. The instrument's name was derived from the resemblance of the selected thirty-seven naturally formed stalactites to the pipework of a traditional pipe organ along with its custom organ-style keyboard console. It was designed and implemented in 1956 over three years by Leland W. Sprinkle inside the Luray Caverns near Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, USA. The stalactites are distributed through approximately 3.5 acres of the caverns but can be heard anywhere within its 64-acre confines.
Years ago dances were actually held on this spot complete with musicians.
The guide spotlights one of the places where a mallet hits a stalactite.
Haunting is exactly the right word for this experience

Category:

Music

Tags:

• music