I’ve always loved the poems of Christina Rossetti and I Loved You First always resonated particularly strongly with me. Before the poem begins Rossetti quotes Petrarch: “Everything else, every thought goes out, and there only remains Love with you.”  The exploration of the powerful nature of love and passion in the poem that follows made it a text I just had to set to music. I will always believe that “You construed me and loved me for what might or might not be” is one of the romantic lines ever written - it was an utter joy to write and I loved creating an uplifting piece; a contrast to my usual more melancholic fare.

 

© Jessica Curry