The Madman's Orchestra

'One of the most brilliantly illustrated and totally compelling books about music ever put together' – Tom Service, BBC Radio 3 From the bestselling author and former BBC QI Elf comes a fascinating and beautifully illustrated journey through the entire history of music. In The Madman's Orchestra, join Edward Brooke-Hitching as he lifts the curtain on the strangest episodes from the entire history of music, taking us on a backstage tour of surprising and eccentric stories. From the musical secrets of prehistoric monuments to the future of compositions by artificial intelligence, The Madman's Orchestra uncovers the most curious tales, madcap musicians, and unusual instruments lost in time – and answers questions including: - Which composition requires four helicopters and a string quartet with strong stomachs to play it correctly?- When should you feed your piano hay?- What does the 'cat organ' sound like, and is it any more pleasing to the ear than the 'hog harmonium'? Discover the code-writing of musical cryptography, the beauty of Renaissance eye music, musical hoaxes, lost masterpieces, fire organs and witches flutes, compositions by the Devil, the woman who invented the 'visible voice', and the symphony designed to bring about the Apocalypse. Fascinating, funny, and at times barely believable, the abundantly illustrated The Madman's Orchestra is a unique compendium brimming with entertaining facts, stories and playlists of obscure music that will thrill and delight every music lover.

Edward Brooke-Hitching is the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling books The Phantom Atlas (2016), The Golden Atlas (2018), The Sky Atlas (2019), The Madman's Library (2020) and The Devil's Atlas (2021), all of which have been translated into numerous languages; he is also the author of Fox Tossing, Octopus Wrestling and Other Forgotten Sports (2015). He is a writer for the BBC series QI. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an incurable cartophile, he lives surrounded by dusty heaps of old maps and books in Berkshire.