Evan Stephens

:"For the American television comedy, see Even Stevens."Evan Stephens (June 28, 1854 – October 27, 1930) was a Latter-day Saint composer and hymn writer. He was also the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for 16 years.

Early life and family

Stephens was born at Pencader, Wales. He moved with his family to Utah Territory when he was twelve. [Cornwall, J. Spencer. "The Story of Our Mormon Hymns" Enlarged Fourth Edition, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1975) p. 155.]

Stephens never married. However, he was sealed to two women. The first was his fiancée, but she died in a freak accident while in a stage performance.Fact|date=February 2008 The second he had wanted to marry but she was not willing to join the LDS Church and he wanted to serve as a good example of marrying in the faith to the youth of the church.Fact|date=February 2008 After his death she did join the church.

Teaching music

From 1885 to 1900 Stephens directed the teaching of music at the University of Utah. [ [http://www.britannia.com/celtic/wales/facts/facts3.html Wales on Britannia: Facts About Wales & the Welsh ] ] Stephens also served as the first public school music supervisor in Utah.

Musical writtings

In 1899 the "Missionary Song Book" edited by Stephens was distributed in the Southern States Mission. [Hicks, Michael. "Mormonism and Music". p. 129]

In the 1927 English LDS Hymnbook there were 84 hymns written by Evan Stephens. [Bergman, Ray L. "The Children Sang: The Life and Music of Evan Stephens with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir". (Salt Lake City: Northwest Publishing Inc., 1992) p. v]

His works in the 1985 English language edition of the Latter-day Saint hymnal are:
* #11 "What Was Witnessed in the Heavens" (music),
* #17 "Awake, Ye Saints of God, Awake!" (music),
* #18 "The Voice of God Again is Heard" (words and music),
* #23 "We Ever Pray for Thee" (adaptation of text and music by H. A. Tuckett),
* #33 "Our Mountain Home So Dear" (music),
* #35 "For the Strength of the Hills" (music),
* #55 "Lo, the Mighty God Appearing!" (music),
* #61 "Raise Your Voices to the Lord'" (words and music),
* #74 "Praise Ye the Lord" (music),
* #91 "Father thy Children to Thee Now Raise" (words and music),
* #118 "Ye Simple Souls who Stray" (music),
* #120 "Lean on My Ample Arm" (music),
* #183 "In Remembrance of Thy Suffering" (words and music),
* #243 "Let Us All Press On" (words and music),
* #254 "True to the Faith" (words and music),
* #330 "See The Mighty Angel Flying" (music), and
* #337 "O Home Beloved" (words).

He wrote several other LDS hymns that do not appear in the 1985 edition of the hymnal.

Included among his works is Utah, We Love Thee (also sometimes referred to as "Land of the Mountains High") which became the official State Song of Utah in 1937. In 2003 it was designated the official State Hymn, and a new state song was named.

Directing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Under Evan Stephens' direction the size of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir increased from 125 members to over 300. [ [http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=036eb2987ff92110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=9ae411154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD LDS Newsroom - Timeline] , lds.org, accessed 2008-03-29.]

Stephens was also the director of the choir who moved it into the field of performing concerts and not just for religious celebrations. [Mark David Porcaro, [http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/etd&CISOPTR=394 p. 20 "The Secularization of the Repertoire of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 1949–1992"] , Ph.D. dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.]

For part of the time that Stephens was director of the Tabernacle Choir he held the title of president with two counselors, in a system of leadership similar to that used in LDS Church wards and stakes. ["Conference Report", April 1904, p. 75]

Stephens was also the first man employed as full time choir director. This occurred in 1895. Prior to this the director of the choir had been viewed as a part time office, who although given a stipend for his service was expected to earn his main employ by other methods. At this time the leaders of the church decided to make the position of choir director full time and doubled Stephens salary. [Bergman, Ray L. "The Children Sang: The Life and Music of Evan Stepens with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir". (Salt Lake City: Northwest Publishing Incorporated, 1992) p. 135]

Alleged homosexuality

In his book "Same-Sex Dynamics Among Nineteenth Century Americans: a Mormon Example", Latter Day Saint historian D. Michael Quinn expresses the view that Stephens had homosexual relationships and that these were tolerated by the LDS Church hierarchy.D. Michael Quinn (2001), "Same-Sex Dynamics Among Nineteenth Century Americans: a Mormon Example", University of Illinois Press.] Elsewhere, Quinn has pointed out that Stephens remained single but had intimate relationships and shared the same bed with a series of male domestic partners and traveling companions. [D. Michael Quinn (1995), [http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=27086&CISOSHOW=27002&REC=12 "Male-Male Intimacy among Nineteenth-century Mormons—a Case Study"] , 28(4) "Dialogue" 105–28.] Some of these relationships were described under a pseudonym in "The Children's Friend", a church magazine for children. [Anonymous (Oct. 1919), "Evan Bach [Evan Stephens] : A True Story for Little Folk, by a Pioneer [Stephens] ," 18 "The Children's Friend" 386.]

Several LDS scholars have called Quinn's research on Stephens a distortion of LDS history. They deny any acceptance from previous leaders of homosexuality, and state the current leadership of the church "is entirely consistent with the teachings of past leaders and with the scriptures."George L. Mitton, Rhett S. James [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=280 A Response to D. Michael Quinn's Homosexual Distortion of Latter-day Saint History] Review of "Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth-Century Americans: A Mormon Example" by D. Michael Quinn Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 1998. Pp. 141–263.] Specifically, they disagree with Quinn's theory that Stephens was involved in intimate relationships with other men or that the article in "The Children's Friend" was about these relationships. They state that Stephens "is known only as a strictly moral Christian gentleman". Additionally, Ray Bergman — who was in one of Stephens's youth choirs and personally knew him — disputes any claims that Stephens was a homosexual. [Ray Bergman, "Logan Herald Journal", 1996-04-10, p. 18]

ee also

*Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Notes