THE
LIFE AND TIMES OF EVAN STEPHENS
There are many writings, diaries, documentaries, articles,
publications, and copyrighted material written about my illustrious Great Grand
Uncle Evan Stephens. I attempt at this time, to try to put into context some of
the things that I have learned about him. He was the epitome of so many fine
musicians who have come from the country of Wales and have influenced Mormon,
as well as American music, since the mid 1800s. He was at first, a lover and
singer of music, a composer, teacher and mentor, poet, conductor and professor
of music. Music and the furtherance of it in the Mormon culture in
"Zion" and across the nation was his life. From the time he was
thirteen years old, he devoted the remainder of his life to music and teaching
of it to children and adults.
LITTLE EVAN BACH
`Uncle Evan' was the younger brother of my Great Grandmother Ann
Stephens Deschamps who was the first of the family to
immigrate to America
in 1863. Another brother, Tom came to America in 1864. He and Ann saved enough
money to send for their parents and young Evan who emigrated in May of 1866.
There were other family members who also came at the same time.
Evan was
the last child of 10 born to David Phillip and Jane Evans Stephens at Pencader, Carmarthen, South Wales on the 28th of June, 1854. They
lived at Alltfechan Terrace, Carmarthen, Wales.
A story was written in Children's Friend
many years ago, date unknown, that says his mother Jane was in the field hoeing
potatoes when she went into labor with Evan. She made her way to the house and
called to her daughter Mary who was 12 to go get Aunt Rachel to help with the
birth. But with the help of fourteen-year old Ann, who was tending four-year
old David, Baby Evan arrived before Aunt Rachel appeared in the doorway and was
tucked away in his crib. They were very grateful for this 10th child as they
had lost a dear little baby girl, Rachel, just the year before. After his
birth, Mother Jane took him out to the wheat fields and laid him in the shade
while she worked.
Speaking of Alltefechan
Terrace, a cousin of mine and his wife, Steven and Eileen Illum
from Springfield. Missouri, visited the home place in Wales
of the Stephens family a few years ago and say that the village where they
lived is quite small, probably about the size of St. John. They met a family
who lives in a house on Alltfechan
Terrace that they believe was the Stephens' house. But others dispute
that and say that it was torn down. In any case, a picture of the row of houses
that still stand there is very typical of the straw-
thatched cottages that the farm laborers lived in during the early 1800s. A
grand niece, Erma Thomas Yearsley states that the
straw-thatched cottage was nestled in a winding valley with steep grassy hillsides
edge-encircled fields, clear brook and green lawns. This was the humble home of
this gifted ancestor of Furs. According to Erma's writings, Evan was a sickly,
puny baby, not expected to live. But live, he did! She felt that this beautiful
home place helped to inspire him and broaden his god-given talents in music because
he loved and used the beauties and sounds of nature in his poetry and music
compositions.
The family was very poor, one reference
puts it as almost destitute. Being so large a family, everyone had
help, but, Tom, the 2nd oldest brother, as Evan later stated, was looked to as
a second father as he shared reponsibilities for
providing for the family and worked on a farm not far distant from the home.
Evan has said that Tom was their counselor, both in a spiritual way and a
material way. Another brother, David. also provided for the family by working in the carding mills
when he was just 9 or 10 years old.
The family was deeply religious and belonged to the Congregational
Church until they heard the true gospel preached by the missionaries (Dan
Jones) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in about 1848 or 49.
Jane and David Phillip Stephens joined the church and were baptized in 1849.
Father David was made President of the Pencader
Branch of the Mormon Church. During those early years of raising her family,
Mother Jane taught her children how to read, and she used the Bible as the text
book, but, of course, the language she taught was Welsh. Evan had learned to
read by the time he was six years old. However, the Queen's Tongue was being
taught in the village schools and he started to learn the English language which
he was able to understand, but unable to converse in it. He probably didn't
have much formal education because by the time he was 10, he was forced to quit
school to work at herding cattle and sheep.
Evan was baptized into the Mormon Church 19th Dec 1863 at the age
of 9 in a nearby stream running through Pencader.
But, nonetheless, the stories written about the family all say that the family,
despite their poverty, was a happy one and very optimistic about having a
better life some day, especially after converting to the Mormon Religion and
the dream of emigrating to the promised land. In fact, it was during these rough
times that Mother Jane would often softly sing a hymn that was sung by the
Mormon Missionaries: the beautiful words from the hymn, "Come, Come, Ye
Saints". At the time
Evan was born, they had been asked as Latter Day Saints to contribute to the
building of a temple far away in the West and as she worked, she would sing.
Little did she know that as she tenderly looked at and cared for
this child lying in the field under the shade of a tree, that he would live to
compose the anthem, "Hosannah" for the
dedication of the Salt Lake Temple on April 6", 1893, for which they were
contributing.
Evan's mother called him EVAN BACH. Bach in the Welsh tongue means
`little'. So in English, he was known to the family as Little Evan. Since
Evan's father had become the President of the Pencader
Branch of the Mormon Church, meetings were regularly held in their little
humble home. Some of Evan's earliest memories were praying and singing, and the
effect of the hymn singing by both children and adults was poetical rather than
musical. He didn't seem to be too impressed with singing in unison or the
melody as much as he was with the meter and could identify what tunes were
suited to various meters. The one-part music did not stir his soul as much as
did the rhythm of the verses, which some experts say is unusual in a child so
young, but he became a genius for harmony rather than melody, and, also, as a
poet.
THE EMIGRATION OF THE
STEPHENS FAMILY
In the spring of 1863, when Evan was about 9, Tom came home to
announce that he had saved enough money to pay his way to America. But,
he was reluctant to go alone because he didn't want to leave the family.
However, his sister Ann, chided him that he would finally be able to realize
the dream that they all held so dear and that if he didn't want to go, to give
her the money and she would go. That's what he did. Ann, at 23, sailed from
Liverpool on May 30, 1863, on the Cynosure to
America. When she finally arrived in Utah, she got work as a seamstress in the
home of Brigham Young and his family. She saved money, as did Tom who followed
her to America a year later. Together they were able to pay the passage for the
parents and for young Evan along with funds from the Perpetual Emigration Fund
set up by the Church. There wasn't quite enough money for all of them, so
Mother Jane borrowed enough money to bring along young David, too. They all
sailed for America in May 1866 on the Arkwright. Evan
had been told since his infancy that the family was going to `Zion' as soon as "the Lord would open up
the way." He regarded the coming journey as a matter of course, but was
saddened at the thought of leaving his friends and his beloved countryside. He
loved a particular hillside garden where snowdrops, narcissus and primrose
grew. He planted these same varieties in
his own garden in Salt
Lake some thirty-five
years later.
Evan recalls in his memoirs that there was some persecution
against the family for their foolishness and their mad religious delusion. Some
of Evan's friends even called him `the little saint' and he would reply: "Better
Saint than Sinner!" Once it was learned that they were really going to
America, Evan took pride in reminding his friends that the family had always
maintained that they were going and now there was proof that their religion was
right.
There were
a few scary moments for the family when they got to Liverpool where they
learned that there were no berths reserved for this family and that they would
have to wait at least two weeks for the next ship. Evan threw himself upon some
cotton bales that lay on the wharf and cried bitter tears. But his tears weren't
in vain, because rather than leave them behind, arrangements were made to put
them in the fore cabin on the upper deck so they crossed the ocean up among the
sailors and delighted in it. It took 38 long days to sail the ocean. They first
sighted land on the 4th of July. As they spent the night in the harbor at New
York, they were able to witness a fireworks display as the American cities were
celebrating their Independence Day. They still had a long way to go to get to
Utah, but their dream had come true. Later. Evan would
write the beautiful "A New World
Anthem, " describing his feelings about his new country.
From New York, they boarded a steamer the following morning which
took them to New Haven, Connecticut.
They were then transferred to a freight train which took two weeks to reach Chicago via Montreal, Canada
From Chicago, they
traveled to St. Joe, Missouri. They, then, hopped a three-decked
river steamer which
carried them up the Missouri River to Wyoming,
Nebraska; not really a town, but a small center
of scattered
farms seven miles north of Nebraska
City. There was no room
for the Welsh people in the wagons that
were headed west. They had to wait 10 days for the next group, a company of
Danes. Food had been
scarce on their trip to this point, but there was fresh milk and food available
while they waited to start on
their trek west.
Evan Bach found the merry smiling teamsters from the
"Valley" intriguing. At dusk, they would `fiddle' and coax the people
to dance. Finally, in late July, the wagons and oxen arrived to transport the
Welsh saints to Utah and they departed the banks of the Missouri on August 1,
1866, under the leadership of Joseph S. Rawlins with a company of 400 souls in
65 wagons.
Evan later
stated in a talk: "The Pioneer trip across the plains, the emigrating trip
from the old country here forms sort of a background for my life, as it
interested me immensely. The journey across the plains was
such an experience of pleasure to me, that I found it
difficult to sympathize with the pioneers who thought it was a hardship. I find
my mind wandering off now, and I can see myself; the first day I started across
the rolling country. I was too elated to walk, so I would run ahead and then would
stop and wait for the crowd. Of course I
was a very young man." He was a 12-year old boy at the time. He anxiously
awaited the Rocky Mountains of which he had heard so much about, but mile after
mile, day after day, there was no, sight of them. Young David recalls that when
they reached Echo Canyon, the sound echoes so that the noise of one wagon
sounds like a dozen. The family's last camp was at Mountain Dell. The next
morning after sixty-one days en route, they prepared to enter the "Valley
of the Mountains" on October 1, 1866.
Evan published two pioneer songs in 1894
and 1918. One was a teamsters' chorus dedicated to Peter Garff,
who drove the Welsh oxen team in the company. Another was A Pioneer Campfire Song.
They descended down through the last
canyon and Evan said that the view of the valley was `indescribable.' They
checked in at the `tithing yard' where they were to pay their emigration fee.
If they couldn't pay, they were to pay 10 percent interest until it was paid.
They were then met by Henry Harris whom they had known previously in Wales. He gave
them food, and they continued on down into the city and saw the construction of
the great tabernacle. No one in the family at that time could've possibly
dreamed that their Little Evan would become so famous and be such a big part of
that great tabernacle.
Then, later in that day, all of the wagon train met at the Jordan River where they met hundreds of settlers and had
a feast of watermelon and other fruits which seemed to be in abundance. The
Stephens family spent a few days with Thomas Jeremy until their son Tom could
come down from Willard where he and
sister,
Ann had settled.
MUSICAL BEGINNINGS IN WILLARD
The homes or `huts' in the Willard Village
were within the confines of dirt walls which made it a fort to protect the
settlers from marauding Indians. Their first home was just that, a hut.
However, there was a smoothed-out dirt surface in the middle of the fort where
they would dance every evening.
Evan began working for some kind neighbors
herding their sheep and doing chores around their homes. He
was timid and hadn't, as yet, mastered the English language. But since everyone
was so kind, it wasn't
long before he developed some good friendships. School and Sabbath Day meetings
were held in the same
building and Evan was enchanted by the music the choir rendered each week. The
members were friendly
and kind to him. He was impressed by their leader, David Tovey.
Evan's passion for music and friends
began at this point.
By now, the family had moved into a larger
home...two rooms instead of one, but it had a cellar and a granary. David's
father worked the farm on a share basis. Evan would go down into the cellar
where he thought no one could hear him. He would fill milk pans with varying
depths of water and accompany himself and practice the songs he had heard in
his treble voice. But, one day, someone (David Tovey,
Evan's idol who conducted the choir) was passing by and heard young Evan singing.
He would remember that voice. One day later on when the choir was practicing at
Mr. Davies' place where Evan happened to he visiting, Mr. Tovey
invited Evan to come into the practice session, and he was taught to sing alto.
He loved the men in the choir, and they, in turn, loved Evan.
As time went on in this little
inter-mountain settlement, Evan labored to build his musical abilities through
the little Willard Choir, Sunday School, dances and
dramatic entertainments. He progressed from a plain country bov
to the one who became a musical genius and filled the highest musical position
in the Church. His love
for music
became so strong that he yearned to read music as well as, in future years,
compose beautiful
music. He still was so timid that he rarely asked for help, but would rather
study on his own and he borrowed copies of music and studied them himself. He
became expert at both reading and copying.
About this
time, another brother, John, and a Timothy Woozley
arrived from Wales.
Woozley was a
professor of music and had brought with him some very worthwhile music. Evan
used and studied it and it
advanced him musically by leaps and bounds in understanding this class of
music. In 1870, Evan's brother Tom purchased a four-octave cabinet organ which
Tom allowed Evan to practice on. He soon taught himself how to play it.
It was also about this time in 1870 that Evan's parents and
family, as well as many of his friends and their
families, moved to Malad,
Idaho. Evan was sixteen but chose
to stay in Willard and began working for a
stone mason. His job was to tend masons, mix the mortar, carry it plus the
stones needed to the mason. His
days would begin at 4:30 a.m. when he would start out by making his own meals,
keeping up the orchards
around the home, and then working with the masons until 6:30 p.m. Then, the
evenings would be filled with
dance, singing or some other entertainment. When he had spare time, he spent it
studying. On occasion,
his employer, Shadrack Jones, would stop working and
visit with Evan about Handel and great musical
affairs in Wales.
He learned from others as well, i.e., Mr. Woozley and
David P. Jones, who both had a
great interest and enthusiasm for music. But they differed widely in taste; one
was all fire for masterly
music, and the other for the sweet, beautiful sentiment of a simple nature in
both words and music. Evan
drank freely from both sources.
During the winter time, it was a continual round of meetings,
dances, singing school and theatricals...all of
the home-made variety. At this point, the Willard Choir was invited to sing
with the great tabernacle choir
under the direction of Professor George Careless who reportedly was the first
conductor of the early
tabernacle choir. They were to sing at the October conference of the LDS Church
in Salt Lake City.
Professor Woozley was now training the Willard group
and he put Evan in charge of training the boys who
were singing alto. All of the youth from ages 15-17 were among the compliment
of choir members. They
joined fifteen of the best choirs from outlying areas which were invited to
join in with Professor Careless's
choir. They went by train to the big city and stayed and performed at various
places and functions and had
a glorious time.
Evan was a hard worker. When he had earned enough money, he bought
his own four-octave cabinet organ and continued to practice and study. He even
composed some music in those teenage years. Music and education became very
important to the people in Willard. Evan began giving lessons on the organ. Soon,
some of the music lovers created a glee club of 6 persons. Before Evan was 17,
he was called to be the leader of the choir. They had another invitation to
join the tabernacle choir in Salt
Lake at the next conference.
Professor Careless sent Evan 25 pieces of music plus "The Hallelujah
Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah" for the choir to learn for the
conference. They had 3 months to learn it. The only instrument of accompaniment
they had was Evan's little cabinet organ but "Hallelujah" was too
difficult to accompany on the organ and conduct at the same time. So they
learned "The Hallelujah Chorus" part by part without the organ.
However, the choir was well prepared by the time they arrived in Salt Lake.
It was a huge success and this young musician was fast becoming a master in the
musical world.
He organized concert performances to raise money to purchase a
good organ for the Willard Ward, and
they performed both in Willard and Brigham
City and surrounding areas. In his first choir
concert, he acted
as the leader, accompanist and soloist, with three of his own compositions on
the program. An orchestra
was also organized with Evan at the keyboard. His first composition was
published in The Juvenile
Instructor when he was nineteen
called the "Gushing Rill". The arrangement of the parts and the
harmony were as correct as if they had been done by a seasoned composer. All of
this, he learned without
lessons or guidance.
He continued to direct the choir in Willard from 1872-1878, as
well as organist for the Sunday School. He took part in acting plays, as stage manager
and scene painter. Whatever was needed, he would willingly do. He wrote two or
three plays and four musical plays and had them performed by his students in
Willard. He worked during the day,
winter and summer in various occupations as shepherd boy, farm hand, wood cutter,
hod carrier, railway section hand for the Utah &
Northern Railroad and apprenticed in 'class teaching.' His children's choirs for concerts and for
the Grand Jubilee of the Sunday school in 1873 and 1874 consisted of thousands
of young children. In 1876 he was a member of the Quadrille Band consisting of
John Taylor, John C. Pettingill, and Edward Morgan
violinists; and Evan, clarinet and organ. Later in that year, Evan composed an
anthem for the dedication of the LDS Temple in St.
George, Utah,
entitled "This House We
dedicate to Thee."
ORGANIST IN LOGAN,
UTAH
His work with the railroad took him to Logan, Utah.
There he became acquainted with Professor Alexander Lewis who was the leader of
the Logan Tabernacle Choir. He obtained permission from the Professor to
practice on the tabernacle organ, which naturally attracted the attention of
the professor. However, Evan, at that time was working for a blacksmith. He
hated the job and soon returned to Willard. Professor Lewis was so disappointed
that he had left, that he soon convinced the local churchmen that they should
offer Evan a full-time job as organist for the tabernacle choir. So Evan, in
1880, was offered the job at $60.00 per month which was more than he was
earning as a section hand or as a blacksmith's helper. Happily, he accepted and
moved to Logan. He instituted and organized large children's classes and adult
classes, gave concerts and even gave organ lessons while there. He further
stimulated great interest in Logan by training groups of singers and by
presenting small operettas and cantatas. He deemed the Logan Tabernacle choir as
having the best singers in the state at that time, many of whom were in his
singing classes. This really helped to launch him upon a career that was to be
his life's work.
When visiting the Tabernacle Choir in 1882, Evan decided that all
of the efforts of creating the large children's choirs and hearing the large
Tabernacle Choir convinced him that only with a large group of singers could he
achieve the grandeur of sound and emotion that he desired. So developing his
own methods of teaching children to read music and sing in parts in the Willard
and Logan classes, he advanced the concept to a divine art.
He worked in Logan for about three years. When he had saved enough
money, he went to Salt Lake to study under Joseph J. Daynes, a noted pioneer
musician of the period. He took lessons on the pipe organ and trained groups of
children to sing and gave concerts in the Tabernacle and in the Salt Lake
Theater. Church authorities encouraged the saints to broaden their appreciation
for a higher class of music and encouraged musical classes and training by
music professors so that they could understand music. Evan had proposed plans
for classes in music in the Sunday Schools to teach elementary principles of
music. It
was well received and a successful program.
The children would then give concerts, which were also well
received.
In May 1885, he went to Boston and studied pipe organ for one year
at the New England Conservatory of Music. While there, he also studied
composition and orchestration under George Chadwick and George E. Whiting. He
was offered some positions as conductor and composer, but declined. He returned
to Salt Lake City in late May of 1886. He, then, organized an opera company and
presented several well-known popular operas in the Salt Lake Theater. He was
also appointed musical supervisor and teacher in the public schools of Salt
Lake City, which was the first to introduce music in the schools. He was
engaged by an agent of J. P. Gilmore of Gilmore's Band which was the greatest
band in America
at that point, to put together a great chorus for a musical jubilee to be held
in the Tabernacle. Evan had a choral society of four Hundred people of all
denominations who loved music which had prepared to sing with this great band.
The
leader.
Mr. J. P. Gilmore, told Evan that he wanted him to
conduct the choir and the band. It was a successful jubilee and Evan's choral
group became the Salt Lake Choral Society.
In 1890,
he gave Utah's
first May Festival with three performances of the Choral Society of 300 voices
and 1,000 public school children with
famous soloists, an orchestra and band also performing. During these years of
teaching so many children, he put together and marketed a number of books of
songs. An example
School land Primary Songster, containing songs for pubic schools,
Primary Associations.
and
kindergarten voices. Another was the YMMIA Missionary Hymn and Tune Book
published for use in the Southern States Mission containing many of his hymns
plus songs from the Hymnal and Sunday School Song Book. The Latter
Day Saint Psalmody was published in 1889 with 19 of Evan's own compositions
included.
TABERNACLE CHOIR LEADER
By now, he had a well-established reputation as a leader of
singing groups and was asked by the First Presidency of the Church to become
the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in September of 1890. He began his
labors on October 15th and made them a self-supporting organization of over 375
members The choir had declined in membership at that
period of time due to the government's stand on polygamy. The male populace of the
choir was either incarcerated, on missions, or had moved away. The women, without
their husbands, needed to raise their families.
Evan knew that in order to fulfill the needs of the church and
community, he would need to create a `great'
choir with increased number of quality voices. He had stated that he had
visualized all the world streaming
to the land of Zion to enjoy and admire, as foreseen by the older prophets:
`The Songs of Zion' to become
something more than a name. But he didn't dream that his singers would travel
from coast to coast giving
concerts and attracting favorable comments for his church. Within three years'
time, he traveled with a choir of 250 members to the Chicago World's Exposition
of 1893 to compete with the world's great choirs
in the Welsh Eisteddfod competition. In the beginning, when he was invited two
years earlier, he felt that
his choir was too young, too inexperienced to be competing in such a contest,
however, he was encouraged
to go and was actually authorized by a member of the Twelve Apostles to make
preparations. But this
brought on a new set of circumstances and that was how to finance the travel
for so large a group. He was
told not to worry, but to prepare the choir to win. He was also preparing for
the laying of the capstone for the Salt Lake Temple in 1892. He was still
giving lessons, concerts and conducting the various groups he
had organized. Concerts were given to raise funds for the choirs. He was also
organizing a project to improve and remodel the west end of the tabernacle to
accommodate the growing choir. He was publishing
more and more anthems and hymns at this time.
For the Temple capstone laying, Evan composed a duet, "Grant Us Peace, 0 Lord' in 1892; and the famed anthem, "Hosanna". He conducted music at sixteen sessions of the dedication service
in April 1893. Plans for the trip to Chicago were not without problems during
this time, especially the expense of traveling. At one time, the trip was
cancelled and then on again. They had to change the selection of music at one
juncture. The choir members, their conductor and the Church worked diligently
to make it a successful trip and, perhaps, win the contest and bring favorable
comments back to Utah about the Mormon choir. The choir itself raised $1000 to
help with expenses. They did travel by train to the competition and were
awarded 2nd prize of $1000. They gave 20 concerts that year, in the Tabernacle,
at Saltair, and at Denver. Kansas City, St. Louis,
Chicago, Omaha and Independence, Missouri, while on the trip.
In 1895 he conducted the first great Eisteddfod in the Rockies.
He, then, took the choir on an excursion to California and to Denver,
Colorado, for the Eisteddfod.
When Utah
obtained her Statehood in January 1896, a great celebration was held in the
Tabernacle. Evan wrote a special song for the occasion entitled. "Utah, We Love Thee." It was sung by 1000 children and was
subsequently adopted by the Utah State Legislature as the official State song.
In 1897, the choir won first prize at Utah's second Eisteddfod.
At the
closing exercises of the L.D.S
College on June 5, 1895,
the honorary degree, Bachelor of Didactics in the Art and Science of Music, was
conferred upon Evan by Dr. James B. Talmage.
In 1900, Evan took leave of the choir and
went on a tour of Europe, visiting England
and his home, Wales.
He went to
Paris to the World's Fair, then to Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and
Norway. In 1903, he took the Choir on another excursion to California. In 1904, Evan had decided to
resign and turn the baton over to a younger conductor as he had reached 50
years of age, but his request was declined by the First Presidency.
The years after
were filled again with concert performances and money raising projects.
President Joseph F. Smith of the Church expressed his appreciation for the
musical contribution the choir and organ had made throughout the world and how
necessary it was that its good name be preserved. He expressed sincere
appreciation for Professor Stephens' labors.
In 1909. Evan and his Tabernacle Choir embarked on
a sixth tour, this time to the Eisteddfod at the Alaska-
Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. They gave concerts along the way, but when
they were about to enter the Exposition Auditorium, they were told that each
member had to pay a seventy-five cent admission fee. Professor Stephens refused
to force the choir members to pay. It had cost them $10,000 to make the trip while
other contestants only had to pay street car fare. As it turned out, the
Eisteddfod Committee offered to pay the choir $500 to present a concert in the
natural amphitheater on Sunday evening along with Ellery's Royal Italian Bank.
They accept and the concert drew a vast throng of 17,500 persons seated and
another three to four thousand standing. It is said that twelve thousand people
were turned away from what was "unquestionably the most successful musical
event of the kind that has yet taken place at the Exposition."
Then, in
1911, arrangements were made for the seventh and last tour of the Tabernacle
Choir to be directed by Evan Stephens. A contract was signed for the choir to
sing at the American Land and Irrigation Exposition in New York City at Madison
Square Garden in November of that year. The choir committee in charge decided
to schedule a number of concerts en route in twenty-five cities to help raise
the needed revenue for expenses of the trip. There was much persecution across
the nation at that time which made the trip difficult. In many cases, because
of the propaganda, audiences were small. In Buffalo, New York, the concert was
cancelled because the political authorities would not permit the Mormons to
sing. But where they did sing, they got rave reviews. They were invited to sing
at the White House for President and Mrs. William Howard Taft. Because Evan
Stephens was a musician of the people, he always selected the music to be what
he thought the people would want to hear. Even though the trip back East was
unsuccessful financially, the reward was that the Tabernacle Choir served to
improve the image of the Church in the East and Mid West.
RETIREMENT
In 1916, Evan turned 62 on June 28th.
Three weeks later he sent a letter to the First presidency stating that
he had served twenty-six years as leader of the Choir and felt that his place
should be filled by a suitable,
younger man. This time the First Presidency reluctantly accepted his
resignation. After he retired, he
served on
the General Music Committee of the Church. President Heber J. Grant requested
of him in 1920 to write a cantata depicting the life of the boy prophet, Joseph
Smith. It was entitled, "The Vision." The cantata commemorated the
100th anniversary of the First Vision. Later, he would write another cantata entitled
"The Martyrs" which deals with the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum
Smith. From the beginning of his career. Evan Stephens
was called upon for lectures on teaching, conducting, etc. He officially and unofficially
served in many positions while directing the Choir. He was Music Director of
the YMMIA, an instructor at LDS
University, served the
Deseret Sunday School Union, the YMMIA, the Primary Association, and the Relief
Society. He even taught a weekly class to outgoing missionaries on hymn
singing.
Professor
Stephens lived in a beautiful home on the corner of 12th South and State Street. It
was affectionately called Pine Lodge and had man-made lakes for boating, and
all sorts of love nooks for his
young friends in the form of arbors and benches. It was a favorite place for his friends and
guests. His
nephews
lived with him for awhile and he helped finance their educations. In fact, he
helped to educate several of Tom's children. He was very generous in helping
many young people further their educations. whether
they pursued music or not. It didn't matter. He encouraged education. Much of
the service he gave was without remuneration.
At his beloved Pine Lodge, he was his own gardener. The borders of
his property were adorned with evergreens and flowers and willows. It was here
that he composed a lot of his music. He was his own secretary. He had a
housekeeper, Sarah Daniels, who was a distant cousin and had come from Wales in
1902. Although, not a Mormon, she was hired by Evan to take care of his home.
They were very good friends and after his death, she became a member of the
church.
He was known as a firm disciplinarian and was reluctant to
delegate authority and responsibility. He had a few disagreements with people
over music, the organ and such, but a George D. Pyper
summed up the career of Stephens in 1933 when he wrote: "He was of the
common people and he wrote his songs for them. A musical Mussolini, he wanted
his own way in the choir, and succeeded best when he had it. His personality
was unique. May the memory of him live on." He
had an amiable manner, was charming and people were drawn to him. He had
tremendous leadership qualities. His disposition was cheerful, witty and
friendly. He loved nature, music and God. It has been written that you couldn't
help but be utterly amazed at the tremendous and dynamic energy of the man. His
work with the children alone was amazing. He loved the children and the
children loved him. It is said that he taught and trained over 20,000 children.
Evan
Stephens passed away on October 26, 1930. He left everything he had to either
the Church or to his housekeeper, Sarah. He had never married, although I read
somewhere that he had been engaged to a young lady, but tragedy struck and took
her life. Another friend also met with an accident that took her life. It
appears that he sealed off his heart from the pain of losing ones so dear; so,
his loves became his music and his religion. He remained close to his family
and visited in St. John many times. He would come up and stay at Tom's home and
they would spend endless hours singing and composing at the organ and piano in
the parlor. He would organize a Welch Choirfest in St. John on St. David's
Day, every March 1st until 1908. He was honored at Evan Stephens Night in the
new tabernacle in Malad, Idaho, in March 1918. It was
a very special celebration for him, one that he wouldn't forget.
At his
funeral, Anthony C. Lund stated: "Evan Stephens has done more than any
other one person toward musical progress of the Church and this State. His life
was a large contribution to the cultural development of Utah and Salt Lake
City, in particular. May he rest in peace and be loved and remembered. Time has
proved that Evan Stephens will be long remembered."
IN CONCLUSION
In my research of my illustrious Great Grand Uncle, I found
nothing but the most admirable testimonials of him given by his colleagues, his
peers, family members, his friends, his students, even Prophets of the Church
during his more than 60 years of service to the public and the church. May I
add my own personal testimonial to the man. I wish that I had known him because, I, too,
would have loved him. In fact, I do anyway. I am so amazed at what he was able
to accomplish in his life. He was given a great gift by God and he did what
we're all supposed to do with our talents and gifts; magnify them. We can pick
up Church hymn book and sing 19 of his beautiful hymns. It was written of Evan
Stephens's hymns that they illustrate that which breathes optimism and not
pessimism. His intentions were to convey a spirit of joy and brightness in all
that he wrote. Especially in songs for children, he felt this quality was
essential. And through his music, we can feel the love, the beauty of nature,
the understanding of the Gospel message, and patriotism and love of country
through his compositions. He said of his compositions that they all had a
little 'sagebrush' in them as the pioneer part of the Church and his life was
one that was nearest and dearest to his heart.
He believed in singing the right thing at the right time and that you
should "sing what you mean and mean what you sing."
"He filled his noble career with dignity and honor and left a
magnificent musical contribution to be inherited by all music-loving people the
world over. God bless His memory." (Taken from a Tribute to
Professor Evan Stephens by Hannah Evans Deschamps [my
grandmother].) time and that you should
"sing what you mean and mean what you sing."
Submitted by: Paula Deschamps Morby
Great
Grand Niece
March 31, 2005
