In 1877, Arthur Sullivan was already Britain's foremost composer, having produced such critically praised pieces as his "Irish Symphony", his "Overture di Ballo", many hymns and songs, such as "Onward, Christian Soldiers", and the popular short operas "Cox and Box" and "Trial by Jury". Adelaide Anne Procter was an extremely popular poet in Britain, second in fame only to Alfred Lord Tennyson. On the early published sheet music for the song, Procter's name is written in larger letters than Sullivan's. Sullivan's father's death had inspired him to write his "Overture In C (In Memoriam)" over a dozen years earlier.