Networked_Music_Review

The Great Stalacpipe Organ

Tags:
history
instrument

Helen
Thorington

stalacpipe2.jpgThe Great Stalacpipe Organ :: According to the oddmusic.com gallery description, the organ is located deep in the Luray Caverns in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and is the worlds largest musical instrument. Here is their description:

Stalactites covering 3 1/2 acres of the surrounding caverns produce tones of symphonic quality when electronically tapped by rubber-tipped mallets.

This most unique, one-of-a-kind instrument was invented in 1954 by Mr. LeIand W. Sprinkle of Springfield, Virginia, a mathematician and electronic scientist at the Pentagon.

He began his monumental 3 year project by searching the vast chambers of the caverns selecting stalactites to precisely match a musical scale. Electronic mallets were wired throughout the caverns and connected to a large four-manual console. When a key is depressed, a tone occurs as the rubber-tipped plunger strikes the stalactite tuned to concert pitch.

A variation of the story of the instrument’s conception, according to Wikipedia, is that Sprinkle’s son Robert hit his head on a stalactite, producing a tone that inspired Sprinkle to invent the instrument.

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Feb 20, 17:55
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