by Athena Goodlight

Created on: February 23, 2009

Beneath the ground, in the beautiful Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia, is a unique musical instrument. Not only is it unusual, but also the largest in the world - and still growing. This is the great Stalacpipe Organ. Its creator, Leland W. Sprinkle, believes it could be enlarged to include all tunable stalactites in the 64 acre underground caverns.

It all began when little Robert Sprinkle visited those Shenandoah Valley caves on his fifth birthday. When the guide struck a stalactite at just the right spot, the rock's deep, resonant tone, fascinated both him and his father. Mr. Sprinkle, an electronic scientist, became excited over the idea of creating an instrument for playing music on the stalactites. The Blue Ridge Mountain Caverns were probably formed by underground rivers. Slow seepage of rainwater through lime stones produced hanging formations called stalactites. Glittering, stately chambers, some as large as 300 by 400 feet, enchanting natural avenues of strange and exquisite stone formations slowly developed. Stalactites from the ceiling met stalagmites building upward from the floor to form great, awe inspiring columns.

Hundreds of thousands of people go through the caverns each year. They tour Giant's Hall, a grouping of spacious chambers; Tatiana's Veil, a mass of dazzling white stalactites; and Dream Lake, an expanse of crystal clear water. But before Mr. Sprinkle's visit, no one had tried to create an instrument to unlock the tones imprisoned in the silent stalactites.

He had to meet many problems. Only two stalactites were in perfect tune naturally. Mr. Sprinkle worked out a system of grinding the others, using sanding disks rotated at high speed. Once tuned, the hard rocks stay tuned, air-conditioned by the 54 F temperature of the caves. The skillful grinding actually improved the tone quality of the stalactites.

It took Mr. Sprinkle three years of research, design, and experiment to develop the octave blocks which are controlled by metal brushes similar to tiny paintbrushes. They rest on a plastic belt with a pattern of holes corresponding to various chord structures. The electrical system causes a plunger to move, striking a stalactite.

The plungers are magnetic. Large ones are of soft iron with a brass tip covered by rubber. Small, rubber-tipped metal plungers are used for smaller rocks. The speed of the driving motor causes changes in the musical rhythm. The volume level can be set at eight different positions.

Multiphonic sound is achieved by different locations of the stalactites. Probably no organ in the world has a better room in which to achieve its echo effects. A "celeste" of two stalactites sounding together is another exciting tonal quality that is achieved in this underground cathedral.

Selections have been recorded. The first of these was "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," which was performed in 1956. Other songs played seasonally are "We Gather Together" (arranged by Edward Kresmer), "Silent Night" (with a stalactite chime effect), and "Christ the Lord is Risen Today."

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