Poster for the Organophonic Band

When hip-hop performers began beatboxing in the late 1970s by imitating drum machines, they joined a long history of musicians using their voices to mimic instruments. In Victorian England the Organophonic Band astonished audiences with their vocal renditions of a wide range of instruments including harps, cymbals, drums, trombones, violins, and even a music box. Their clever advertisements illustrate the voice’s unexpectedly orchestral properties.