Fisher Aubrey Tull, Jr. (September 23, 1934 – August 23, 1994), known professionally as Fisher A. Tull, aka Mickey Tull, was an American composer, arranger, educator, administrator, and trumpeter.

Life and career

Tull was born in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...

, where he attended public schools. He eventually earned three degrees from the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

: a B.M. in music education (1956), a M.M. in music theory (1957), and a Ph.D. in music composition (1965). He studied trumpet with John Haynie and composition with Samuel Adler. While an undergraduate, he played trumpet in and arranged for various jazz and dance bands, including the University of North Texas Lab Bands. In 1957 Tull became a faculty member at

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...

in Huntsville, Texas, serving as Chairman of the Department of Music since 1965. Tull entered into serious composition beginning in the early 1960s. His works are generally tonal but harmonically adventurous and rhythmically vigorous, and show a strong influence of

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

and

Renaissance music Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century ''ars nova'', the mus ...

. His catalog of compositions include over 80 published works for orchestra, band, chorus, and chamber ensemble, although he is known particularly for his works for concert band, brass, and percussion ensemble. Most of his works are published by

Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British Music publisher (sheet music), music publisher, purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass instrument, brass, string instru ...

(with which he was on contract since 1974) and Southern Music Company, with other works available from Western International Music, Ludwig Publishing Company, TRN, and the

International Trombone Association The International Trombone Association is the largest association of trombonists with 4,000 members from 74 countries. Formed in 1972, ITA is a registered non-profit organization. ITA undertakes numerous activities to further its mission: * prod ...

Manuscript Press. Tull died in

Huntsville, Texas Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. Its population was 45,941 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the center of the Huntsville United States micropolitan area, micropolitan area ...

. On July 13, 1996 the Fisher A. Tull Memorial Gazebo was dedicated in downtown Huntsvill

Selected works

*''Prelude and Double Fugue'' *''Studies in Motion'' *''Cryptic Essay'' *''The Final Covenant'' *''Jargon After William Billings'' *''Liturgical Symphony'' * ''Swing Board'' * ''March for Tripod'' *''Sketches on a Tudor Psalm'' *''Sonata for Trumpet and Piano'' *''Three Bagatelles'' *''Segments'' *''Concerto Grosso'' *''The Binding'' *''Sonatine'' for percussion ensemble (1971) *''Rhapsody for Trumpet and Winds'' (1980) *''Jargon (After William Billings)'' (1976)

References

*Byrd, Richard William (1992). "A Stylistic Analysis of the Solo and Chamber Music of Fisher A. Tull." Ph.D. dissertation. Lexington, Kentucky: University of Kentucky.

Discography

*Sam Houston State University Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, Ralph L. Mills, Conductor (1981). ''The Compositions of Fisher A. Tull'', v. 2. LP. Golden Crest Records.

External links

Official Fisher Tull website

Fisher Aubrey Tull, Jr., "An Analysis of the Works for Solo Trumpet
by

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; born Alan Vaness Chakmakjian; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts ...

" (Masters Thesis, 1957) University of North Texas Digital Library *

Texas State Cemetery The Texas State Cemetery (TSC) is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, downtown Austin, Texas, Austin, the Capital (political), capital of the U.S. state of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revo ...

, Austin Texas USA
Fisher Aubrey Tull
20th-century American classical composers American male classical composers 1934 births 1994 deaths Musicians from Waco, Texas Pupils of Samuel Adler (composer) Sam Houston State University faculty University of North Texas College of Music alumni Distinguished Service to Music Medal recipients American classical trumpeters American male trumpeters 20th-century American trumpeters Classical musicians from Texas 20th-century American male musicians {{US-composer-20thC-stub