The first and last of these love songs based on poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning are especially related to the courtship and marriage of Elizabeth and Robert Browning. The middle song is a setting of three of the five stanzas of a poem entitled “A Woman’s Shortcomings.” In “How Do I Love Thee?” the dominant interval is the augmented fourth that occurs in some form each time the words, “I love thee,” are sung. The motif of “let me count the ways” is heard from time to time and returns strongly at the end with the phrase, “better after death.” The melodic line seeks to “paint” the words of each phrase. The waltz was the most popular dance of the 19th century. It seemed fitting to select that form for the second poem, a portion of which hints at a dance scene. The contrast of “Life” and “Love” in the final poem is brought out through a descending line in a somber mode picturing the cold stillness of “Life” and an ascending line in a bright mode picturing the warmth and joy of “Love.”

How Do I Love Thee (excerpt)
Never Call It Loving (excerpt)
Life and Love (excerpt)

Luke tells of the prophet Anna and her contact with the baby Jesus in the Temple.

”The prophet Anna was also there in the temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. In her youth she had been married for seven years, but her husband died. And now she was eighty-four years old. Night and day she served God in the temple by praying and often going without eating.

At that time Anna came in and praised God. She spoke about the child Jesus to everyone who hoped for Jerusalem to be set free.”
Luke 2:36-38 (Contemporary English Version-CEV)

We are only told that she “spoke of the child Jesus.” I decided to develop a song that would tell about her and what her “speaking” might have been. Thus I researched the Psalms for praise especially related to worship in the Temple. I also looked for Psalms of lament that could represent her sorrow in the loss of her husband.

The song opens with a call for everyone to shout praises to God. The first recitative-like section allows Anna to introduce herself and share about her sorrow. A song of lament follows which leads back to a declaration of confidence in God and a desire to praise Him in His Temple.

The second recitative-like section is presented as the words of Anna as she speaks of being old and spending her days in the Temple praying and fasting. However, God has granted her a great blessing. In a cry of joy she declares, “I have seen the promised Messiah.”