As Sunday sit-down dinners draw to a close, students flock to the nearest congregation to lock arms with each other and sway to the Deerfield Evensong. Nearly a century after its composition, the tradition of the Evensong has undergone significant changes, yet is still celebrated by many members of the Deerfield community.
On October 31, 1930, English Department Head Richard Warren Hatch and Glee Club Leader Ralph Herrick Oatley completed the Evensong. The year before, school leaders had disagreed on whether the community song should be either a rallying song or a hymn. They ultimately decided to compose both, one after the other. Although the Evensong was originally composed for tenor and bass, it was eventually expanded to include soprano and alto parts as the Academy re-established itself as a co-educational institution.
Former Head of School Frank Boyden led students in “Sunday Sing.” Students gathered in the lobby of the Memorial Building, now the Hess Center for the Arts, and typically sat on the floor. They sang the Cheering Song, the Evensong, and a popular culture song, which ranged from “Meet the Flintstones” to the Beatles.
In the 80s, “Spring Sing” aimed to bring both Deerfield students and families together through song. On Spring Parents’ Weekend, students sang three songs on a temporary stage in the Old West Gym: the Cheering Song, the now-antiquated Deerfield Song, and the Evensong. English Teacher Mark Scandling recalled the tradition, saying, “All the parents who were alums would come up and join. It was a lot of not-great singing. The singing was more to honor the past than it was to celebrate the musical quality of the songs.” Over time, as more construction projects occurred on campus, Spring Sing became a tradition of the past.
The tradition of the Evensong eventually shifted to the current time: Sunday evenings. Pianist Robbie Hua ’24, who serves as this year’s accompanist for the Evensong, spoke on the iconic Deerfield tradition. “I feel very honored,” he said. “The song brings back a lot of memories and I feel nostalgic. It’s great that we can come together as a community that day with that song.” Mr. Scandling commented on the brevity of some Deerfield traditions but made an exception for the Evensong. “We try to hold on to some traditions,” he said. “They’re not really traditions, they’re just habits. I think the Evensong will be a tradition that will be held onto—it’s deeply felt by most students.”
Although many regard the Evensong as an unchanged practice, the Deerfield community has had to adjust the tradition in the past.
In the midst of a global pandemic, the Deerfield Chorus and Advanced Chamber Music Class virtually performed an arrangement of the Evensong in the spring of 2020. Kento Yamamoto ’16 performed a hip-hop remix at a school meeting performance, inspired by his interest in beatboxing. Mr. Scandling acknowledged the further possibilities the Evensong offers to students’ creativity, and said, “It was meant to be a hymn—a hymn to Deerfield—but it’s become something that you can manipulate in your own way. Each generation makes the music speak to itself.”