F. Balilla Pratella, Musica futurista (Futurist Music), 1912.
Cover by Umberto Boccioni.

The notoriety of this book is due mostly to the cover illustration, which features a striking drawing by Umberto Boccioni. Actually, the book itself was the score for Pratella's Concert #30, titled Inno alla Vita. Musica futurista per orchestra (Hymn to Life. Futurist Music for Orchestra) that was later performed in Rome on a tumultuous Futurist evening. Pratella's theoretical contribution to the reinterpretation of musical composition followed Marinetti's aim to intervene in every creative field. The author meant to introduce the "order of disorder" in music by the use of rhythmic irregularity. Today, this composer is known much more for his later works, which are imbued with a lyrical quality.