SKU: GI.G-9958

UPC: 785147995807. English. Text Source: From I Loved You First, Christina Rossetti, 1830-1894, alt. Text by Christina Rossetti.

 The English Romantic poet, Christina Rossetti (1830–1894), is chiefly known for her mystic religious lyrics. Her limited number of love poems are mostly of an unhappy nature, rather like objective expressions of happiness denied. A certain steely stoicism within her caused her to turn away from love twice in her lifetime with two separate men. There is no evidence of resolute refusal of love in this poem, however. Here she profusely proclaims her deep love for another. Wayland Rogers has set the last five lines of I Loved You First to music. The setting is an excerpt from his song cycle, I-Thou , which was commissioned and premiered by Fourth Coast Ensemble in Chicago in 2018.  About the Series: Doreen Rao, 2019 Robert Shaw Award recipient, launches her culturally inclusive choral series, Global Encounters for Young Voices, featuring accessible treble- and mixed-voice works for developing choirs.