100,000 years in the making

Cave Water was introduced as the first of a series. Here is the second sound generator based on our karst cave sampling session. Among the many recordings, other watery noises could have been chosen, but there is one very special sound I am eager to share: a sound associated with a natural musical instrument, whose manufacturing began 100,000 years ago!

When they have grown to the right length, shape, and weight, stalactites are able to produce very beautiful tones, when gently hit. These sounds are not only very unique and inspirational, but can touch us emotionally. I was touched in this way when I first heard that sound... 100,000 years to build something that may eventually become a musical instrument, but only if the improbable happens. Who can afford that? Only an old lady who is five billion years old: Mother Earth. What are a few millennia for her anyway? And she was so right; the improbable indeed happened, twice: a man with a beater came along... and his beater, for once, was used for creation, not destruction...

These sounds have been recorded under the strict supervision of an official guide. Soft-felt timpani beaters were used with care, and did not harm the stalactites. No single damage to the cave occurred during our recording session.

Behind-the-scene photos are available here.

User Stories   0