Edward Boatner
Edward Hammond Boatner (13 November 1898–16 June 1981) was an American composer who wrote many popular concert arrangements of Black American spirituals.
Also recorded as Edward Hammond Boatner · Edward H. Boatner
Edward Boatner
New York Amsterdam News · Public domain
- Name
- Edward Boatner
- Born
- 13 November 1898
- Birthplace
- New Orleans, Louisiana, U.
- Died
- 16 June 1981
- Place of death
- New York City, New York, U.
- Occupation
- Composer
- Full name
- Edward Hammond Boatner.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Education
- Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Roosevelt University.
- Languages
- English.
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wikidata · Q1291724 · wikipedia · Edward Boatner
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Edward Boatner • Born — 13 November 1898 • Birthplace — New Orleans, Louisiana, U. S. • Died — 16 June 1981 • Place of death — New York City, New York, U. S. • Occupation — Composer
Biography
Biography
Boatner was educated at Western University in Quindaro, Kansas, Boston Conservatory and received a Bachelor of Music from the Chicago Music College (Now the College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University). He also studied music privately. He began as a Concert singer with the encouragement and assistance of Roland Hayes — who performed many of Boatner's works on his concert programs—and choral director R. Nathaniel Dett. He also sang leading roles with the National Negro Opera Company. For the National Baptist Convention, he served as the director of music from 1925 to 1931. Boatner was a professor for Samuel Huston College (now Huston–Tillotson University) and Wiley College in Marshall, TX. He then settled in New York conducting a studio and directed community and church choirs. This allowed him to concentrate more on composing. Boatner was the natural father of the sax player Sonny Stitt, but the boy - named Edward Boatner, Jr. - was placed for adoption early on to the Stitt family, growing up in Saginaw, Michigan.
Notable arrangements
Notable arrangements
• "Oh, What a Beautiful City" • "Let Us Break Bread Together" • "Soon I Will Be Done" • "Trampling" • "I want Jesus to walk with me", for Marian Anderson
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New Orleans.
Birth place
New York City.
Death place
Notable compositions
• "Freedom Suite" for chorus, narrator, and orchestra • "The Man from Nazareth", a "spiritual musical" • "Julius Sees Her", a musical comedy
"Edward Boatner
New York Amsterdam News
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Edward Boatner, revision 1316024674 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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Studied at
1- Roosevelt UniversityOrganisation
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
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