The Madman's Orchestra

By: Edward Brooke-Hitching

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Hardcover | 25 November 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
256 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
19.8 x 13.0 x 3.2

Hardcover

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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:

What does the song of a black hole sound like?
Which composition requires four helicopters and a string quartet with strong stomachs to play it correctly?
How exactly would the ‘cat piano’ sound, and would it be any more pleasing to the ear than the ‘hog harmonium’?

Discover musical hoaxes, compositions relayed by ghosts, the code-writing of ‘musical cryptography’, the pop songs smuggled past Soviet censors using X-rays, the beauty of Renaissance ‘eye music’, compositions by the Devil, the supernatural instruments played by witches, and the experimental female scientist who created the ‘visible voice’.

Fascinating, funny, and at times barely believable, The Madman’s Orchestra is a unique exploration of the history of music that will strike a chord with fans of beautiful books and bizarre history, and delight with a rich depth and variety of research that ultimately celebrates the boundless creativity of our musical imagination.

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