How do I love thee?

One of the very first people Patricia and I met when we came to Stafford in March 1964 was Reg. Browning, local solicitor and hugely knowledgeable amateur musician who also wrote arts criticisms in the Rugeley Times under the nom de plume "Brave Galuppi", showing even then his Robert Browning colours!
Many years later Reg. asked if I would set some Browning for him and his wife Veronica and the result was Pippa Passes, premièred in 2011 at St Mary’s by Yvonne Howard and the English Piano Trio. Sadly Veronica had died before the work was finished; but thrilled by Yvonne’s performance of Pippa Reg. then wondered if I might set some of the Elizabeth Barrett Browning Sonnets from the Portuguese for him. Some years before, Spode House (part of what was then Hawksyard Priory near Armitage) had run regular arts events, including evenings of music and poetry recitations, and at one of these the Brownings had recited the opening sonnet "I thought once how Theocritus had sung" and the penultimate one "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
In the end I decided to set a third of the Sonnets, opening and closing with Reg’s suggestions, and the result is the present song-cycle, dedicated to Yvonne Howard. Reg. had been so thrilled to meet her at the Pippa première. Sadly he died before the work was finished; but it was a great pleasure to welcome his family to St Mary's Collegiate Church Stafford for the ‘Sonnets’ premiere on May 18th 2013 - and hopefully also Reg. and Veronica in spirit.