Order
Online
Click &
Collect
Free Local
Delivery
Author: Brooke-Hitching, Edward
Music reviews & criticism
Published on 23 October 2025 by Simon & Schuster Ltd in the United Kingdom.
Hardback | 256 pages, Full Colour Throughout
200 x 255 x 29 | 990g
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.
