THE MAN FROM NAZARETH is a religious musical production depicting The Life Of Christ, from birth to ascension, using narrative and African-American spirituals. It features 21 majestically sung spirituals by a forty voice choir. Each spiritual is preceded in narration by a by an event in Jesus' life that inspired its' creation.
This is the story of Jesus, told through spirituals, as seen through the eyes of slaves who related it to their own lives and dreams. Spirituals gave them the hope of freedom and made life endurable.
Some of the 21 spirituals featured: Oh, Lord, Won't You Hear Me Pray; Create me a Body; Go Tell It on the Mountain; New Born; Little Boy, How Old are You; Jus' Come From the Fountain; Give Me Your hand; Done Found My Lost Sheep; Ride on King Jesus; Plenty Good Room; They led My Lord Away; Give Me Jesus; This Wicked Race; He Arose.
Edward Boatner was born in New Orleans in 1898 and made music and religion his life until he died in 1981. His father was a former slave who became an itinerant minster.
Edward Boatner was a nationally known music educator and a few of the famous people he coached were opera singer George Shirley, entertainer Josephine Baker and blues singer Libby Holman.
Prof. Boatner published his first spiritual arrangement, "Give Me Jesus," in 1918. Since then he was credited with approximately 300 works for choir and vocal soloist. His works have been performed by Roland Hayes, Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson and Leontyne Price. He was the conductor from 1926 to 1930, of the thousand-voice choir at the Baptist National Convention; and the production of his own "Freedom Suite" in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. He is considered to be one of the leading authorities on spiritual music.
