Virginia’s Luray Caverns (http://luraycaverns.com/discover/caverns), discovered in 1878, is home to many unusual sights, but for visitors interested in music, the Great Stalacpipe Organ is a major highlight. It has been featured on “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” and is an excellent way to hear the resonance of the caverns.
The area’s greatest draw is the guided underground walking tour, where visitors experience the vastness of the caves and see many formations, but near the end of the tour, your group will enter a chamber called “The Cathedral.” This is a roughly circular area where the first item you see will most likely be the organ’s four-keyboard console. The guide will explain a little about the organ and maybe even point out where the sounds will be coming from, and then you will hear music. An automated electronic system usually plays the organ, but now and then visitors might get to see a human organist at the console.
The stalacpipe organ concept was conceived and designed by Leland W. Sprinkle (yes, that was his real name), a mathematician, electronics scientist, and pipe organist from Springfield, Virginia. It all started during a visit to the caverns, when Sprinkle discovered that a light tap on stalactites made sounds similar to those of organ pipes. His vision of playing music using stalactites would be impossible, however, until he found the right chamber and stalactites of the right size to create all the necessary musical notes. This selection alone took three years, according to an article by the Blue Ridge Gazette (http://blueridgegazette.blogspot.com/2006/01/blue-ridge-parkway-association.html). The organ was installed in 1954.
Once many of the chosen stalactites were carefully sanded to produce the correct pitches, Sprinkle connected wires from the console to rubber-tipped mallets, which he then attached to the stalactites. The keys cause the mallets to tap the limestone, creating the notes. We must assume that part of Sprinkle’s experimentation time was used to figure the optimal tapping strength and location on each stalactite, both to avoid breaking the formations and to produce the best sounds.
The organ is the world’s largest musical instrument, covering approximately 3.5 acres (more than 152,000 square feet or 14,000 square meters). It uses more than five miles of wiring and when played, and you can hear it throughout the entire 64-acre system of caves and tunnels, due to the enclosed nature of the place. Klann Organ Supply Company built the organ’s console.
The organ plays different musical pieces seasonally. Leland Sprinkle’s original recording and the CD “Midnight in the Caverns” by Monte Maxwell (2001) both showcase the organ’s sound. Due to the nature of the cavern’s pronounced echo, performances feature relatively slow tunes, as faster musical pieces would sound muddy.
People may joke that the organ plays “rock” music, but it does not play Rock and Roll, so do not visit expecting to hear an organ arrangement of Bang Your Head or Dancing Queen. The CD includes tunes such as Greensleeves, Amazing Grace, Beautiful Dreamer, Silent Night, Danny Boy, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata or Fur Elise, and a few preludes by Chopin. You can buy the official Maxwell CD only while at Luray Caverns, but depending on where you look, you might find it (in various unofficial forms) at other venues or online.
Tickets range from $14 (ages 6-12) to $27 (adults), and cover other above-ground attractions as well as the cave tour. These include: Luray Valley Museum (experience the American frontier), Car & Carriage Caravan (follow the early history of the automotive industry), and Toy Town Junction (original trains and other playthings). The Garden Maze, Rope Adventure Park, and Gem Sluice have their own entrance fees. The Luray Singing Tower is also nearby.
Honestly, I did not recognize the delicate tune during my recent visit, but it did demonstrate some of the auditory science behind cave formations. Still worth the drive. Bring a jacket and comfortable walking shoes with good traction, and be ready to marvel at the cavern’s sights and sounds.