Prince Albert was an accomplished and prolific composer, often setting poems written by his brother Ernst to music. He wrote this piece ‘Der Orangenzweig’ on 31 December 1839 for his then fiancée Queen Victoria, after their engagement in October, and sent it to her in England from his homeland in Gotha. Victoria wrote in her journal ‘Received another dear delightful letter from my precious angel Albert from the 31st; it is written in such spirits too. He sent me (which I begged him to do) Ernest's pretty verse which E. made for me about “Die Orangen-Blüthe”, set to music by dearest Albert; I sang it twice over and it is quite beautiful; longer than any of his others, and quite lovely.’