Why Australia’s most eccentric composer built a museum as a shrine to his life and music.

The terry-towelling clothes are gaudy – a vest of Aztec-inspired tan triangles, against blue and white striped pants and rainbow shirt – and more than 50 whips are presented in a vertical glass case with the same care as one might display beetles or butterflies…

The collection of the Grainger Museum is as quirky and compelling as the man who created it. Yes, it contains countless flails, lashes and documentary photos of their effects on composer’s well-muscled back, but the staff of the museum have long since directed their energies away from the S&M artifacts.

Of more lasting interest are the myriad musical titillations, such as the big cabinet with knobs on it, that looks like a huge domestic radiogram from the...