This is the first installment of a running series of posts I will be writing about various sound sculptures and installations across the world.

The Sea Organ is a natural organ driven by the sea waves, and stretches along the Adriatic in the coastal town of Zadar, Croatia. It was created by Dalmatian stone carvers and architect Nikola Basic(who won the European Prize for Urban Public Space for this very installation) in 2005. It produces music through organ pipes attached to tubes near the sea, and air holes located on the steps themselves.

Sea Organ Sample

The organ is made out of 35 musically tuned pipes, sectioned into seven groups of five. Each organ pipe is blown by a column of air and then pushed by a column of wave-moved water. The tuned pipes then emanate the sounds through gaps in the top-most stairs. The seven sets of pipes are alternately tuned between two chords of the diatonic major scale. This relates to the musical tradition of the area of spontaneous four-voice male singing, with melodies and chords conforming to the diatonic scale.

Click to see details of the arrangement of the pipes:

The Sea Organ is one of three organs in the world that are driven by the movement of the sea. It sits alongside The Blackpool High Tide Organ and San Francisco’s Wave Organ.  All three organ share similar designs with slight variations, mostly in aesthetic design.  In my opinion I find the execution of the Zadar Sea Organ to be the most elegant, blending into the surrounding scenery rather than dominating it.

I was absolutely in awe when I hear the above recording, with hints of rhythm and drone at the same time, I instantly fell in love. You can almost picture where and when the waves are washing up against it.

Maybe it’s time for a field-trip?

-iceonthetrail