- Edward Boatner
Edward Boatner (1898—1981) was an
African American composer who wrote many popular concert arrangements of Negro spirituals.Biography
Boatner was educated at
Western University inQuindaro, Kansas ,Boston Conservatory and received aBachelor of Music from the Chicago Music College (Now the College of Performing Arts atRoosevelt University ). He also studied music privately. He began as a Concert singer with the encouragement and assistance ofRoland Hayes — who performed many of Boatner's works on his concert programs—and choral directorR. Nathaniel Dett . He also sang leading roles with theNational Negro Opera Company . For theNational Baptist Convention , he served as the director of music from 1925 to 1931. Boatner was a professor for Samuel Huston College (nowHuston-Tillotson University ) and Wiley College in Marshall, TX. He then settled inNew York conducting a studio and directed community and church choirs. This allowed him to concentrate more on composing.Music
Notable arrangements
* "Oh, What a Beautiful City"
* "Le Us Break Bread Together"
* "Soon I Will Be Done"
* "Trampling"
* "I want Jesus to walk with me", forMarian Anderson Notable compositions
* "Freedom Suite" for chorus, narrator, and orchestra
* "The Man from Nazareth", a "spiritual musical"
* "Julius Sees Her", a musical comedyReferences
# Southern, Eileen. "The Music of Black Americans: A History". W. W. Norton & Company; 3rd edition. ISBN 0-393-97141-4
External links
* Biography at [http://www.afrovoices.com/boatner.html afrovoices.com]
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