Perturbèd spirit was commissioned by the Royal College of Organists for the semifinal of the Performer of the Year Competition 2000, which was held at at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester on September 21st, 2000. The text is taken from the ghost's speech in Act I, scene 5 of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The piece is scored for alto voice and organ. The voice is amplified - partly to allow the organist to draw on the full power and splendour of the instrument, and partly for dramatic reasons: the main point of this scene being the apparition of Hamlet's father from beyond the grave (whether it be in his imagination or in reality). The ghost's voice must therefore be disembodied and considerably larger than life. The loudspeakers should be widely spaced on either side of the organ ranks, so that the voice surrounds the audience. The level should be quite high, so that even when the vocal dynamic marking is low the organ will never drown the voice. It might be a good idea to add some artificial reverberation to the voice (if it is available) to avoid the danger of a crude and boxy sound. This will depend on the acoustic of the hall. It would, for obvious reasons, not be necessary in a cathedral.

Giles Swayne, April 2000