The classic ghost stories most of us know today have their roots in the Victorian Age, but they have existed since the dawn of recorded history, from ancient Rome, from Greece, and from Egypt.

Ghost Tale opens with a mischievous melody sounding in the low winds, followed by a more suspenseful episode; but it is the third section -- a set of five variations on a repeated phrase of eight dark chords -- that most vividly expresses the unease of a ghostly presence. Beginning quietly, this section...