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Phantasm was commissioned and premiered by the St. Clair Shores Lakeview High School Band, Thomas Course, director and Jack Ellis, assistant director, as the featured high school band at the Eighth Annual Spring Conference on Wind and Percussion Music at Western Michigan University on Friday, April 9, 1976. The piece was commissioned by the Lakeview Bands as a Bicentennial observance.
A phantasm is a perception of something that has no physical reality, a spectral or ghostly image. Phantasm is a piece constructed of image and illusion, a glimpse of our country's future with glimpses of its past woven through, just as the real future is inextricably enmeshed with history. Some of the sonic specters are not pleasant; but then how much of our national past was not pleasant, and who honestly believes that the future will be the end of man's inhumanity to man? Other sections of the Phantasm will be startling, as much in America's heritage, and most certainly her future, is startling. Yet permeating it all is an aura of anticipation, we know what the past has brought… The image and illusion that the ear perceives enables the listener to superimpose his own personal bigotries, impressions, and aspirations on the "spirit of 76" and create his own personal Phantasm. The piece makes use of many 20th century compositional techniques such as twelve tone rows, rhythmic rows, poly-tonality, and tone clusters. It also makes extensive use of percussion including some non-traditional "instruments" such as various sizes of suspended, clay flower pots, and a brake drum. Quoted in the opening section (in all twelve major keys at the same time) is a tune called "Chester" which was considered our country's National Anthem two centuries ago.
Duration: 7minutes. The score and parts (printed with Finale) are available for performance. For further information contact the composer below.
