In Sketches of Ghosts a simple melody unfolds slowly, each phrase a long breath. Its simplicity is obscured by dense ornamentation improvised by the performer based on an open notation. The old proverb says that it is easier to draw a ghost than a horse. On the other hand, it's much harder to actually summon the ghost ... but it's worth trying. The work is dedicated to Daniel Franke, whose music inspired me, and who introduced me to the Arabic calligraphy that influenced the ornament notation. It was written for Elizabeth McNutt, the original ghost-sketcher, who also contributed substantially to the ornamentation scheme.
In A Room Full of Ghosts a live interactive computer system adds further levels of ornamentation in time, timbre, and space, and adds accompanimental percussion and wind sounds. As in much music of the Arab world, many voices (in this case, coming from invisible piccolos - some of them very large) interpret the same line at the same time, creating a chorus of phantom performers. Performance materials and instructions for A Room Full of Ghosts are available by request from the composer.