The Madman's Orchestra

<B>From the bestselling author and former BBC <I>QI</I> Elf comes a fascinating and beautifully illustrated journey through the entire history of music. In <I>The Madman’s Orchestra</I>, 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.</B><BR/>  <BR/> From the musical secrets of prehistoric monuments to the future of compositions by artificial intelligence<I>, The Madman’s Orchestra </I>uncovers the most curious tales, madcap musicians, and unusual instruments lost in time – and answers questions includin  <ul><li> What does the song of a black hole sound like? </li><li> Which composition requires four helicopters and a string quartet with strong stomachs to play it correctly? </li><li> How exactly would the ‘cat piano’ sound, and would it be any more pleasing to the ear than the ‘hog harmonium’? </li></ul> 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’.<BR/>  <BR/> Fascinating, funny, and at times barely believable, <I>The Madman’s Orchestra</I> 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.