Sonic Phantoms: Composition with Auditory Phantasmatic Presence - Paperback

by Barbara Ellison (Author), Thomas Bey William Bailey (Author), Francisco López (Editor)

In this book, Barbara Ellison and Thomas B. W. Bailey lay out and explore the mystifying and evanescent musical territory of 'sonic phantoms': auditory illusions within the musical material that convey a 'phantasmatic' presence. Structured around a large body of compositional work developed by Ellison over the past decade, sonic phantoms are revealed and illustrated as they arise through a diverse array of musical sources, materials, techniques, and compositional tools: voices (real and synthetic), field recordings, instrument manipulation, object amplification, improvisation, and recording studio techniques. Somehow inherent in all music--and perhaps in all sound--sonic phantoms lurk and stalk with the promise of mystery
and elevation. We just need to conjure them.

Author Biography

Barbara Ellison is an award-winning composer and artist whose creations have been presented internationally, including her latest 3-hour album, Cyber-Opera.

Thomas Bey William Bailey is a recording artist and author of several books on sonic art, including To Hear the World with New Eyes: A Cultural History of the Synesthetic and Cross-Sensory Arts (2016).

Francisco López is internationally recognized as one of the main figures in the realms of sound art and experimental music.