Music Composed in Sleep & Altered States

This book accompanies the album Written in Sleep by The Gathering Pool—an experimental project exploring the mysterious space between consciousness and creation. This book dives into the very phenomenon that inspired the music.

The Phenomenon

Music often emerges from the subconscious. Throughout history, composers have received ideas while asleep, in lucid dreams, meditation, or trance. These altered states bypass the conscious mind, allowing something other to come through—something pure, haunting, and often unexplainable.

Historical Examples

Giuseppe Tartini once dreamed he made a deal with the devil, who played a violin sonata of haunting beauty. When he awoke, he tried to transcribe it. The result became The Devil’s Trill Sonata. He later admitted it was only a faint echo of what he’d heard in the dream.

Ludwig van Beethoven, exhausted, once dreamed of a canon based on a friend’s name. Upon waking, he mentally retraced the dream and recreated the melody. The result was lighthearted and playful—proof his subconscious had a sense of humor.

Modern Reflections

Today, artists and researchers are paying closer attention to dream-born creativity. Theories range from neural imprinting to metaphysical ideas about parallel consciousness and altered dimensions. But the core question remains: Where does creativity come from when the conscious mind lets go?

The Album Connection

Like Tartini and Beethoven, Written in Sleep was born from dreams, trances, and twilight states. The Gathering Pool channels that liminal space—where melodies whisper themselves into being and the veil between worlds thins. This book explores that space in words.