A Dutch musician/composer has come up with a truly curious and rather pleasing musical instrument, well, perhaps calling it a musical instrument is a bit of an over-statement, possibly music generator might be nearer the mark.. or automatic music maker….. Well, whatever name you think is the best one for this construction, it produces a very gentle and peaceful sound, which if you sit back and relax, could easily keep you in a gentle haze all afternoon.
The creator of this instrument, a Dutchman by the name of Ronald van der Meijs calls it a Candle Pipe Organ, which is actually a totally correct name for this gadget, as you will see when you watch the video of it below. Basically it consists of 9 organ pipes of differing lengths, each of which has its airflow controlled by a candle in a rather ingenious holder. So as the candle becomes shorter as it burns, the volume of air entering the pipe increases, which changes the pitch of the sound produced..
So in one sense, as he puts it, the candles are actually the musicians, and they control the sound the organ produces, not he.
He explains how it works as follows….
The candles vary in size. As the wax melts, the pitch of each pipe shifts slowly and irregularly. The shortening of the candles causes a vertical movement in each mechanism, pulling a wheel connected to a brass valve at the front end of each pipe. Opening the valves allows for different toned pitches.
So that is how it works…. Now is your chance to listen to its gentle music…..
Currently the organ can be seen at De Vishal gallery in Haarlem, Netherlands,, but for more information about the creator of this wondrous instrument, you can visit his website at http://www.ronaldvandermeijs.nl/
OZTHOUGHTS 