Evan Stephens

Evan Stephens (28 June 1854 – 27 October 1930) was a Latter-day Saint (historically known as Mormon) composer and hymn writer. He was also the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for 26 years (1890–1916).

Early life and family Stephens was born at Pencader, Wales. He moved with his family to Willard, Utah Territory when he was twelve. His parents had converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) before his birth. When he was a very small child his mother would take him with her to work in the fields as she raised money to help pay to build the Salt Lake Temple. Stephens also served as the first public school music supervisor in Utah.

In the 1927 English-language LDS Church hymnal there were 84 hymns written by Stephens.

Stephens's 18 works in the 1985 English-language edition of the LDS Church hymnal are:

No. 11 "What Was Witnessed in the Heavens" (music), No. 17 "Awake, Ye Saints of God, Awake!" (music), No. 18 "The Voice of God Again is Heard" (words and music), Nos. 23 (standard) & 312 (women) "We Ever Pray for Thee" (text and adaptation of music by H. A. Tuckett), No. 33 "Our Mountain Home So Dear" (music), No. 35 "For the Strength of the Hills" (music), No. 55 "Lo, the Mighty God Appearing!" (music), No. 61 "Raise Your Voices to the Lord" (words and music), No. 74 "Praise Ye the Lord" (music), No. 91 "Father thy Children to Thee Now Raise" (words and music), No. 118 "Ye Simple Souls who Stray" (music), No. 120 "Lean on My Ample Arm" (music), No. 183 "In Remembrance of Thy Suffering" (words and music), No. 229 "Today, While the Sun Shines" (music), No. 243 "Let Us All Press On" (words and music), No. 254 "True to the Faith" (words and music), No. 330 "See The Mighty Angel Flying" (music), and No. 337 "O Home Beloved" (words).

Included among Stephens's 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's direction the size of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir increased from 125 members to over 300.

Stephens was also the director of the choir who moved it into the field of performing concerts at non-religious events.

For part of the time that Stephens was director of the choir, he held the title of president of the choir and was assisted by two counselors, echoing a system of ecclesiastical leadership used throughout the LDS Church.

Beginning in 1895, Stephens became the first man employed by the LDS Church as full-time choir director. 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. In 1895, the leaders of the church decided to make the position of choir director full-time and doubled Stephens salary. Elsewhere, Quinn has theorised that the unmarried Stephens had intimate relationships and shared the same bed with a series of male domestic partners and travelling companions. Quinn claims that some of these relationships were described under a pseudonym in The Children's Friend, a church magazine for children. However, Quinn has admitted that it is possible Stephens never engaged in homosexual conduct. Specifically, Mitton and James 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 point to it instead as reflecting normal youthful respect for older males. They also point out that Stephens's relationship with his great niece, Sarah Daniels, undermines Quinn's claims. Specifically, Stephens maintained a large number of students as residents in his household to prevent the image of impropriety with Daniels, since if he had lived alone with her without other witnesses around, it would have opened him up to accusations of a scandalous relationship. They state that Stephens "is known only as a strictly moral Christian gentleman."