Frederick C. Tillis Explained

Birth Name:Frederick Charles Tillis
Birth Date:5 January 1930
Birth Place:Galveston, Texas, United States
Death Place:Amherst, Massachusetts,[1] United States
Education:Galveston Central High School
Occupation:Composer, professor of music, jazz saxophonist
Employer:University of Massachusetts Amherst
Notable Works:See below

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

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

During his retirement years, Dr. Tillis remained active as a composer, poet, touring performer, lecturer, and arts advocate. He maintained his dedicated service as director emeritus of the Fine Arts Center and professor emeritus at the UMass Amherst music department and Jazz in July program well into the mid-2000s. In later life, Tillis suffered from dementia and had multiple people who would care for him in his old age. Despite his health challenges, he remained interested in life and continued to support and be engaged with various arts activates in the surrounding Western Massachusetts community.[8]

Posthumous honors

The outpouring of admiration and acknowledgements for Dr. Tillis and his accomplishments is steadfast. Notable honors include proclamations from both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives for his 50 years of cultural contributions to music education and arts advocacy in Massachusetts; the naming dedication of the 1,800 seat Fine Arts Center concert hall at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as the Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall; and finally after restrictions were lifted as the pandemic eased, a major memorial celebration was able to be held on February 20, 2022, produced by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Music and Dance. Performers included current music department faculty and students, former faculty and alumni of the music department, and many friends who collaborated with Dr. Tillis over the years. Additionally, music composed by Frederick Tillis continues to reach new audiences with even more performances, recordings, and recognition.

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

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Frederick C. Tillis, Composer Who Straddled Genres, Dies at 90. Julia. Carmel. June 17, 2020. June 18, 2020. The New York Times. https://archive.today/20200618121326/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/arts/music/frederick-c-tillis-dead.html. June 18, 2020. live.
  2. Central High School, the first black high school in Texas (founded 1885), merged with Ball High School in 1968
  3. Web site: Encyclopedia.com article on Tillis, Frederick 1930 . February 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110628232704/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2874200065.html#A . June 28, 2011 . live .
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=shJofk603zMC&pg=PA260 Aaron Horne, Brass Music of Black Composers: A Bibliography
  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. Web site: Biographical notes at FrederickTillis.com . February 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110711023908/http://www.fredericktillis.com/biography.html . July 11, 2011 . dead .
  7. Web site: UMass faculty bio . February 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629171547/http://www.umass.edu/fac/jazz/sst/press/Bios.pdf . June 29, 2011 . live .
  8. Web site: Dr. Frederick Charles Tillis Obituary (2020) Daily Hampshire Gazette . 2022-05-05 . Legacy.com.

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