Woodstock Chimes Gregorian Alto Windchime

Immerse yourself in the peaceful patterns of Gregorian chant with this classic-style windchime. Tuned to a medieval scale, it echoes the vocal music of the gothic era sung to accompany meditation in the churches of Europe since the late 8th century. The sound produced by the 8 precision-tuned tubes is soothing, uplifting, and incredibly rich. One of a series of 5 differently sized windchimes tuned to the same scale, the Gregorian Alto Chime harmonizes beautifully with the other Gregorian Chimes. Imagine the sound of all 5 Gregorian Chimes hung outdoors and sounding together with their rich melodies.

Woodstock Chimes are the original, musically-tuned, high-quality windchimes known worldwide for their superior sound. When listening to a Woodstock Chime, you hear a fine musical instrument played by the wind, perfectly hand-tuned using the ancient system of “just intonation” based on natural harmonics. This means the frequencies at which the different tubes vibrate are related to one another by simple whole-number ratios. Tones that are related in this way produce the most beautiful musical intervals. The sonic effect is exceptionally pure and soothing.

More than 30 years ago, the first Woodstock Chime was created by founder and owner Garry Kvistad from an aluminum lawn chair he found in a landfill. As a professional musician and instrument designer, he was fascinated by the Scales of Olympos, a 7th century pentatonic scale that can’t be played on a modern piano. Garry had the idea to cut and tune the lawn chair tubes to the exact frequency of the ancient scale. The resulting Chimes of Olympos was the first Woodstock Chime and is still one of our bestselling windchimes. Garry and his wife Diane founded Woodstock Percussion, Inc. in 1979 and it remains a family-owned business in New York’s Hudson Valley.

The sounds of nature are sweet, but the music of chirping birds, chattering squirrels, and rustling leaves is even sweeter when accompanied by Woodstock's Gregorian alto computer-tuned wind chimes. These silver chimes play medieval alto notes inspired by the Gregorian chants of Europe. Company founder Garry Kvistad has developed an advanced method of tuning used on every Woodstock chime: each tube is analyzed digitally with a microphone under the tube measuring the frequency, and cutters are instructed to remove just the right amount of material to produce the most precise tuning possible. The result is a purer, more harmonious sound. All Woodstock wind chimes are from nonendangered hardwoods treated to endure season after season of outdoor use. Woodstock prides itself on being a socially responsible company, explaining that "through the sale of our chimes we proudly support the arts, as well as many environmental and humanitarian causes." Add a hint of Gregorian mystery to your yard or garden while contributing to the harmony of the earth. --Ariel Meadow Stallings