Have you ever wondered what the largest instrument in the world is?
Well, you can find it deep in the Luray Caverns, located in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. In 1954, mathematician and scientist Leland Sprinkle built a gigantic pipe organ there — The Great Stalacpipe Organ.
While it first appears to be a standard pipe organ, it actually uses the cavern's stalactites to deliver the sounds instead of pipes.
In a recent episode of "Great Big Story," organist Otto Pebworth demonstrates the instrument and explains how it works:
"When I press a key, it sends an electrical pulse up to a rubber-tipped mallet, which strikes the stalactite, causing it to vibrate and produce an incredibly beautiful, musical tone."
The stalactites chosen to make sound cover a range of more than 3.5 acres, making it the largest musical instrument in the world.
Hear the organ in action in the video below, as Pebworth performs a bit of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata."
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