The Story
A beautifully illustrated exploration of the strangest areas of music from around the world, from the author of the critically acclaimed bestsellers The Phantom Atlas, The Madman's Library, and The Devil's Atlas.
Join author Edward Brooke-Hitching on a backstage tour of the most surprising and eccentric stories in the history of music. 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.
In these pages, discover answers to questions like:
- 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?
- 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"?
Fascinating, funny, and at times barely believable, this abundantly illustrated volume is a unique compendium brimming with entertaining facts, stories, and playlists of obscure music that will thrill and delight every music lover.
A HISTORY OF MUSIC UNLIKE ANY OTHER: 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 singer who invented the "visible voice," the symphony designed to bring about the Apocalypse, and many more stories that seem too strange to be true, but are.
ART, HISTORY & MUSIC BUFFS: This incredible collection will strike a chord with fans of beautiful books and bizarre history and delight every reader with its rich depth and variety of research, which celebrates the boundless creativity of our musical imagination.
EXPERT AUTHOR: Edward Brooke-Hitching is the son of an antiquarian book dealer, a lifelong rare book collector, and a master of taking visual deep dives into unusual historical subjects, such as the maps of imaginary geography in The Phantom Atlas or the extraordinary history of the book in The Madman's Library.
Perfect for:
- Music lovers
- History buffs
- Anyone interested in bizarre oddities, obscure cultural events, and the macabre
Author: Edward Brooke-Hitching
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: 04/07/2026
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.15lbs
Size: 9.70h x 7.90w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781797240121
Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/26/2026
Library Journal 02/01/2026 pg. 60
About the Author
Edward Brooke-Hitching is the author of beautifully illustrated nonfiction titles such as The Phantom Atlas, The Sky Atlas, The Devil's Atlas, The Madman's Library, and The Madman's Gallery. A writer for the hit BBC television show QI and a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, he lives in a dusty heap of old books and maps in Berkshire, England.
Description
A beautifully illustrated exploration of the strangest areas of music from around the world, from the author of the critically acclaimed bestsellers The Phantom Atlas, The Madman's Library, and The Devil's Atlas.
Join author Edward Brooke-Hitching on a backstage tour of the most surprising and eccentric stories in the history of music. 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.
In these pages, discover answers to questions like:
- 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?
- 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"?
Fascinating, funny, and at times barely believable, this abundantly illustrated volume is a unique compendium brimming with entertaining facts, stories, and playlists of obscure music that will thrill and delight every music lover.
A HISTORY OF MUSIC UNLIKE ANY OTHER: 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 singer who invented the "visible voice," the symphony designed to bring about the Apocalypse, and many more stories that seem too strange to be true, but are.
ART, HISTORY & MUSIC BUFFS: This incredible collection will strike a chord with fans of beautiful books and bizarre history and delight every reader with its rich depth and variety of research, which celebrates the boundless creativity of our musical imagination.
EXPERT AUTHOR: Edward Brooke-Hitching is the son of an antiquarian book dealer, a lifelong rare book collector, and a master of taking visual deep dives into unusual historical subjects, such as the maps of imaginary geography in The Phantom Atlas or the extraordinary history of the book in The Madman's Library.
Perfect for:
- Music lovers
- History buffs
- Anyone interested in bizarre oddities, obscure cultural events, and the macabre
Author: Edward Brooke-Hitching
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: 04/07/2026
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.15lbs
Size: 9.70h x 7.90w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781797240121
Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/26/2026
Library Journal 02/01/2026 pg. 60
About the Author
Edward Brooke-Hitching is the author of beautifully illustrated nonfiction titles such as The Phantom Atlas, The Sky Atlas, The Devil's Atlas, The Madman's Library, and The Madman's Gallery. A writer for the hit BBC television show QI and a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, he lives in a dusty heap of old books and maps in Berkshire, England.
