Songs For All Seasons

Today's Song of the Day was written for the theme of St. George's Day, which was yesterday, but it can be used for any April concert as it is a setting of Robert Browning's famous poem "Home-Thoughts, from Abroad". Robert Browning (1812 – 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. By the age of 12, Browning had written a book of poetry, which he later destroyed for want of a publisher. After attending one or two private schools he was educated at home by a tutor, using the resources of his father's 6000-book strong library. By 14 he was fluent in French, Greek, Italian and Latin. He became an admirer of the Romantic poets, especially Shelley, whom he followed in becoming an atheist and a vegetarian. At 16, he studied Greek at University College London, but left after his first year. His parents' evangelical faith prevented his studying at either Oxford or Cambridge University, both then open o...