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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Spiritual Fantasy No. 7 (On My Journey Now)

by Frederick C. Tillis

Instrumentation
Cello, Piano
Composed
1983
Duration
9'
Publisher
American Composers Alliance (American Composers Edition)
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About this piece

A fantasy for cello and piano of about nine minutes on the spiritual 'On My Journey Now', whose words are printed under the cello's opening melody. It is one of the many Spiritual Fantasies Tillis wrote for different instruments and ensembles. The American Composers Alliance publishes it from the composer's 1983 manuscript as a score with separate cello part. Cellist Timothy Holley included it in a 1996 recital of cello music by African American composers.

Technical overview

The first page of the cello part stays mostly in the lower and middle register, with dotted and syncopated sixteenth-note rhythms, frequent accents, and dynamics from mp to ff; trills appear in the faster 'Forcefully' section. Only bars 1–55 were seen, so later demands are unverified.

Technical focus

  • Dotted Rhythms
  • Rhythm
  • Articulation
  • Dynamics
  • Hairpin Dynamics
  • Slurs
  • Accidentals
  • Meter Changes
  • Tempo Changes
  • Collaboration with Piano

Level rubric

Late Intermediate

Left Hand

  • Master positions up to 7th.
  • Use 5th–7th positions for high notes; early thumb position basics.
  • Learn treble clef for 4th, 5th, 6th positions.
  • Practice complex shifting with guide‑finger techniques.
  • Manage upper extensions; play double stops (thirds, fourths, sixths) with consistency.
  • Use continuous, selectively applied vibrato.

Right Hand

  • Develop advanced bow strokes: deliberate ricochet & controlled up‑bow staccato.
  • Execute quick string crossings & precise chord articulations.
  • Achieve wide dynamic range while maintaining tone.
  • Seamless transitions between spiccato and legato.
  • Execute multiple stops/chord rolls rapidly.

Rhythm & Musicality

  • Increased complexity: fast passages, intricate syncopation.
  • Detailed phrasing & structure; shape long phrases with rubato.
  • Combine expressive dynamics, vibrato & precise bowing techniques.
  • Further refine ensemble sensitivity & leadership.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

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