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Frederick Charles Tillis (January 5, 1930 – May 3, 2020) was an American composer, jazz saxophonist, poet, and music educator at the collegiate level.

Frederick C. Tillis
Born
Frederick Charles Tillis

(1930-01-05)January 5, 1930
Galveston, Texas, United States
DiedMay 3, 2020(2020-05-03) (aged 90)
Amherst, Massachusetts,[1] United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationGalveston Central High School
Alma mater
  • Wiley College
  • University of Iowa
  • University of North Texas College of Music
OccupationComposer, professor of music, jazz saxophonist
EmployerUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
Notable workSee below
Style
  • Classical music
  • Twelve-tone technique
  • Experimental
Websitewww.fredericktillis.com

Early life



Growing up


Born in Galveston, Texas on January 5, 1930, Frederick Tillis was raised by his mother, Zelma Bernice Gardner, née Tillis (1913–2004), his stepfather, General Gardner, and his maternal grandparents, Willie Tillis and Jessie Tillis-Hubbard (1893–1979).

His first musical experiences were courtesy of his mother, who played piano and sang to him as a child. Later, at George Washington Carver Elementary School, Tillis decided to join the school's drum and bugle corps. As he became more proficient on trumpet, Tillis found his first professional job as a musician in jazz bands when he was twelve years old, earning him the nickname "Baby Tillis". Tillis' band director at Central Side High School,[2] Fleming S. Huff, suggested that he start playing the saxophone.


Post-secondary education


In 1946, Tillis was accepted at Wiley College on a music scholarship, and thus became the first person in his family to receive a college education. He graduated from Wiley in 1949 with a B.A. in music, accepting the position of college band director there almost immediately. He also married fellow Wiley music major Edna Louise Dillon at this time. They moved from Texas in 1951 so that Tillis could attend the University of Iowa for graduate music studies. At this time, he also decided to volunteer in the United States Air Force at the outbreak of the Korean War, and became director of the 356th Air Force Band. He later went back to get his PhD under the GI Bill at University of North Texas College of Music, but then returned to the University of Iowa to finish his doctoral studies.[3][4]


Career as educator and composer


Completing his PhD in 1963, Tillis then held a succession of academic positions at Wiley College, Grambling College, and Kentucky State University. In 1970, Randolph Bromery recruited Tillis to the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and he and his family moved to Massachusetts.[5] Joining the faculty as an associate professor of music, Tillis eventually held many faculty and administrative positions during his tenure at the University of Massachusetts. He retired in 1997, but still held the title of Professor Emeritus in the Department of Music and Dance. Tillis served as Director Emeritus of the University Fine Arts Center and Director of the Jazz in July Workshops in Improvisation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[6]

Tillis wrote music since the age of twenty, and was influenced by Schoenberg, Bach, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky, African-American composers, and world music. Some of Tillis' more notable compositions include A Symphony of Songs, a choral/orchestral work based on poems by Wallace Stevens and commissioned by The Hartford Chorale, Inc. (1999); A Festival Journey (1992), and Ring Shout Concerto (1974), for percussion, written for Max Roach; and Concerto for Piano (Jazz Trio) and symphony orchestra (1983) written for Billy Taylor. Tillis also wrote several books of poetry, as well as the textbook Jazz Theory and Improvisation.[3][7]


Late life


In the late life of Tillis, he suffered from dementia, he had multiple people who would care for him in his old age, some of the people who cared for him include, Kay Montgomery, his neighbor, Pamela Tillis, His daughter and Rosangela Marquez[8]


Compositions



Poetry books by Tillis



Textbooks by Tillis



Discography


  1. Motherless Child
  2. Spiritual Fantasy No. 12: Nobody Knows the Trouble I See
  3. Spiritual Fantasy No. 12: Wade in the Water
  4. Spiritual Fantasy No. 12: Crucifixian (He Never Said a Mumbelin' Word)
  5. Spiritual Fantasy No. 12: I'm A-Rollin'
  6. Spiritual Fantasy No. 9 (Sympathy)
  7. Freedom
  8. Beyond Shades of Doubt
  9. The Rain Forest
  10. Singing for The Sake of My Soul
  11. The Best Times

References


  1. Julia, Carmel (June 17, 2020). "Frederick C. Tillis, Composer Who Straddled Genres, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  2. Central High School, the first black high school in Texas (founded 1885), merged with Ball High School in 1968
  3. "Encyclopedia.com article on Tillis, Frederick 1930". Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  4. Aaron Horne, Brass Music of Black Composers: A Bibliography, Greenwood Publishing Group (1996)
  5. University of Massachusetts, "Randolph W. Bromery, Champion of Diversity, Du Bois and Jazz as UMass Amherst Chancellor, Dead at 87", February 27, 2013.
  6. "Biographical notes at FrederickTillis.com". Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  7. "UMass faculty bio" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  8. "Dr. Frederick Charles Tillis Obituary (2020) Daily Hampshire Gazette". Legacy.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022.

Further reading






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