Vernon Evans arranged TT’s anthem music

THE EDITOR: Please permit me to shed some light on the contentious authorship of our national anthem. We know that: (1) The parties involved are all dead, the third parties or other more remotely connected, have made statements of doubtful accuracy. (2) In April 1958, to mark the inauguration of the West Indian Federation, a West Indies Festival of Arts took place in Trinidad. Page 30 of the festival brochure is devoted to the melody and lead sheet of “A song for Federation” captioned “words and music by Patrick S Castagne.” Our national anthem bears an undeniable resemblance to its predecessor, from which it was obviously derived. (3) Pat Castagne was not able to write music, and his daughter confirms (see Newsday 25.9.04; Guardian 1.10.04) his dependence upon a musician “to write the musical notes of what he composed” by recording his sung rendition of the tune and the words of his compositions. A notation of the melody and a lead sheet could have been produced from this recording, but to complete the score the harmony would have to be added. The creator of that harmony would become the arranger of the work. Mr Denner might well have had an input into the anthem (see Newsday 3.9.04 and 13.10.04), but his score would need to be presented for assessment by experts.

Those who were involved in the run-up to Independence will remember the momentous telegramme from London “Independence August 31” — a mere six weeks away. I am indebted to Julian Kenny’s article (Express 10.9.04) which recalls the “hurried judgments” arising out of the necessity to create an organise in so little time the trappings of newly independent statehood — the flag, the coat of arms and flower and bird emblems. One clear example was the misnaming of the national flower because of a hasty erroneous association with Jose Maria Chacon, Trinidad’s last Spanish governor. The same pressure of time prevented the declaration of the arranger alongside the composer of the melody of the national anthem. Vernon Evans, M us (Wales), associate of the Royal College of Organists, was director of culture and head of the now defunct division of culture of the former ministry of education and culture, and had served as music officer of the department of education from 1946 to 1957. He had written the harmony to the melody of “A song for Federation”, and the work was submitted to the National Anthem competition without his name as arranger.

He appealed to the then attorney general to have his contribution formally acknowledged. Nothing was done about Mr Evans’s claim, and to this day the caption on the music sheet of the anthem reads “words and music by Patrick S Castagne.” The failure to rectify the omission of the arranger’s name and to correct the false attribution of the national flower to Governor Chacon remains monuments to the inertia of officialdom. An arranger claiming recognition for his work is able to pursue at law his moral right as a creator of intellectual property. Copyright law provides that a creator can exercise the right to have his name associated with the product of his intellect, quite separate from his economic rights. It is interesting to note that in some countries the moral rights of a creator extend beyond his death. So, what can be done? We have had, since 1962, a second-hand national anthem whose authorship is still being contested. (Incidentally, the annals of several countries bear witness to the disputes over their national anthems). The name of our national floral emblem makes a created fictional link with our history. No satisfaction has been obtained by those who have sought to correct the error, just as no reparation can now be made to those whose claims of authorship of the anthem were ignored.

The most that can be done is to attempt to set the record straight for posterity, to lay the ghosts and to take instruction for the future. There is a good reason for desiring this last outcome. Our calypso and popular music industries suffer from a situation where ghost writers frequently remain ghosts until a song becomes a hit, and performers reap the credit and the pecuniary benefits for performing a work created by others whose rights of authorship were not established. This is one outstanding piece of business waiting to be addressed to ensure that the rights of creators are protected. About three years after Independence, a concert was given in the Queen’s Hall by the New Sinfonia Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli. According to custom, the national anthem of the hosts country was played at the start of the proceedings. At the crisp, striking fanfare which replaces the so-called “introduction” of the original, the audience rose and hearts swelled with pride at the strains of our anthem produced by a first-rate orchestra. The conductor had obeyed the arranger’s performance instruction “grandly,” and as the orchestra responded, all traces of the work’s clouded patrimony and contested paternity vanished. The anthem had spoken for itself. Later still, at the tenth anniversary of Independence, Vernon Evans’ work “We sing to thee, our country” won the first prize in the National Song competition. The composer had received his due.

JEAN SUE WING
Santa Cruz