Welcome to "Intermezzo" — where we take a few minutes to bounce some ideas around about classical music.
Today, we’re diving into… caves! Natural resonant spaces.
Echo-filled caves... resonating chambers inside your own body... your mouth, chest and even your noggin, the world is full of caves and cavities. And we’ll explore how these spaces have inspired some seriously haunting and beautiful classical music.
The image above shows the world's largest instrument, a church organ inside a cave. It's the Great Stalacpipe Organ in the Luray Caverns of Virginia.
Instead of metal or wooden pipes, hammers strike stalactites to produce resonant sounds that echo through the cave. In all, the instrument spans 3.5 acres.
Do you want to hear it?
So what makes the organ so loud when all it's doing is tapping pieces of rock?
The booming sound in a large cave is due to the shape of its walls. The shape and size of a cave can cause sound waves to bounce around and amplify, creating a booming effect when someone speaks or claps inside.
If you’d like to hear music that has all of the resonance of a big man-made cavern, try listening to Gregorian chant recorded in a big Cathedral — like "Christe, qui lux es et dies" by Ambrose of Milan, recorded by the American Boychoir led by James Litton.
** Web Bonus **
Curious about how a pipe organ works? Organist Anna Lapwood breaks it down in this fascinating video, filmed at St. John's Smith Square in London — home to a magnificent instrument boasting an incredible 3,574 pipes.
Hear today's full episode by clicking "Listen" above and if you know the answer to today's riddle text the answer to 833.490.4718. By texting your answer, you agree to receive follow-up messages from IPR.
Christy L'Esperance is the host and producer of Intermezzo.
Thanks to our cohost Andrew.
Scott Clemens is IPR's Digital Content Producer.
