John Edgar Stevens, (8 October 1921 – 14 February 2002) was an English musicologist, literary scholar and historian, whose research focused on the words of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and Renaissance music. He was the Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

from 1978 to 1988. .

Early life and education

Born in south London on 8 October 1921, Stevens's father was a violinist and his mother a mathematics graduate. He attended

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and received its first royal charter in 1553. ...

on a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

before studying classics at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He was there for a year (1940–41) before his studies were interrupted by service in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

: he served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and reached the

temporary rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibi ...

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. On

demobilisation Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milit ...

in 1946, he returned to Cambridge, this time reading

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. He graduated with a starred first

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

(BA) degree in 1948. He then undertook research for a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(PhD) degree, supervised by

Thurston Dart Robert Thurston ("Bob") Dart (3 September 1921 – 6 March 1971), was an English musicologist, conductor and keyboard player. Along with Nigel Fortune, Oliver Neighbour and Stanley Sadie he was one of Britain's leading musicologists of the post ...

; his PhD was awarded in 1953.

Career, research and honours

In 1948, Stevens was elected a bye-fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge; in 1950, he became a

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

and, in 1953, a full

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the college, where he remained until retirement in 1988 (the last seven years as the college's president)."Stevens, Prof. John Edgar"
''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

'' (online ed.,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2007). Retrieved 21 April 2021. At the

, he was a University Lecturer in English from 1954, then the

Reader A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to: Computing and technology * Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader * Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application * A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...

in English and Musical History from 1974 to 1978, when he was appointed Professor of Medieval and Renaissance EnglishPage (2007), p. 205. (remaining in the chair until he retired in 1988). Despite the fact that he held teaching posts in English, Stevens's main academic interests and greatest contributions to scholarship were in the fields of musicology and

music history Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is a highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies music from a historical point of view. In theory, "music history" could refer to the study of the history o ...

. He was especially focused on medieval

monophonic Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

songs in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intellig ...

and other languages. For the

Musica Britannica ''Musica Britannica'' is a trust founded in 1951, as "an authoritative national collection of British music". One of its co-founders, Anthony Lewis, served as the publication's first chief editor for many years. A programme about the project, wit ...

series, he authored ''Mediaeval Carols'' (1952; 2nd ed., 1958), ''Music at the Court of Henry VIII'' (1962) and ''Early Tudor Songs and Carols'' (1975). He also wrote ''Music and Poetry in the Early Tudor Court'' (1961) and ''Medieval Romance'' (1973), the latter his only book about literary criticism, and ''Words and Music in the Middle Ages'' (1986); he edited, with Richard Axton, ''Medieval French Plays'' (1971). In his later life, Stevens began work on a project exploring medieval England's tri-lingual songs by editing every one known from before 1300. It proved too great a task, but he turned his attention to editing the

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of the over 100 libraries within the university. The Library is a major scholarly resource for the members of the University of Cambri ...

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

Ff. 1. 17(1); with the support of others, he was able to see much of the editing done. After his death,

Margaret Bent Margaret Bent CBE , (born Margaret Hilda Bassington; 23 December 1940) is an English musicologist who specializes in music of the late medieval and Renaissance eras. In particular, she has written extensively on the Old Hall Manuscript, English ...

, Richard Axton, Karl Reichl, Bonnie Blackburn and others brought it together as ''The Later Cambridge Songs: An English Song Collection of the Twelfth Century'' (2005). He was chairman of the

Plainsong and Medieval Music Society The Plainsong and Medieval Music Society (PMMS), also spelled as the Plainsong and Mediæval Music Society, is an English music society. Founded in 1888, the PMMS primarily researches, promotes and produces publications on medieval music, partic ...

from 1988 to 1995.Christopher Page
"Professor John Stevens"
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', 11 March 2002. Retrieved 21 April 2021.

Personal life

In 1946, Stevens married Charlotte Ethel Mary (née Somner). Together they had four children: two sons and two daughters. He died on 14 February 2002 in Cambridge, England, aged 80.

Honours

Stevens was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 1975 and was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1980; he was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

by the

University of Exeter , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

in 1989, the same year that he received the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...

's Derek Allen Prize.''The International Who's Who 1990–91'' (London: Europa, 1990), p. 1524.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, John 1921 births 2002 deaths English musicologists English historians English literary historians English music historians Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Fellows of Magdalene College, Cambridge Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the British Academy Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Royal Navy officers of World War II Professors of Medieval and Renaissance English (Cambridge)