The Sonnets from the Portuguese was commissioned in 1955 by the famous American soprano, Dorothy Maynor, who performed Morawetz's songs at many concerts in U.S.A., Canada and Australia. Since the completion of this work in 1956 it soon became one of the most frequently performed Canadian compositions. It has been performed by many prominent Canadian sopranos including Roma Butler and Lilian Sukis who gave the USA première in Washington, D.C. This work was also a special favourite of the well-known late English soprano, Jennifer Vivian.

Jan. 12, 1992. Hear Morawetz describe the circumstance of the commission and thoughts when beginning to compose the songs on CBC's Two New Hours.

Morawetz says that the harp-like accompaniment of the first sonnet came to his mind after seeing in a book of Barrett's poetry the illustration referring to the line: "A poor tired wandering singer, singing through the dark and leaning up a cypress tree". The poem expresses her sadness that she cannot marry Browning as she finds herself unworthy of him and feels she could never make him happy. The main motif contained in the first two bars occurs several times in this sonnet. It is based on two chords, the first based on superimposed thirds forming an 11th chord on A resolving chromatically to the distant and most unexpected B-flat minor triad. The sadness of this unusual cadence dominates most of the song.

The opening motif of the second sonnet starts in the same B-flat minor key in which the previous sonnet finished. It is a repeated two bar phrase, full of hesitation and doubt. This feeling suddenly changes in the 5th bar to a happy, almost march-like mood, preparing the first line: "Thou hast thy calling to some palace floor, most gracious singer of high poems!" After a short crescendo, the voice reaches a climactic high B-flat. At this point, the light mood is suddenly dispelled by the dramatic appearance of the opening motif which dominates the next section in which the poet describes the hopeless situation of their mutual affection. The nervously excited piano part later stops on a sustained chord to give special prominence to her exclamation: "Hush, call no echo up in further proof of desolation!" In the concluding bars, the previously happy mood of the beginning is completely transformed into a slow almost crying passage underlining the poet's despair and loneliness: "There's a voice within that weeps as thou must sing alone, aloof".

The music of the third song is lyrical, filled with gentle tenderness as the poet finally dismisses all her previous doubts and is quite overcome by her feelings of happiness and love.

The very bright mood of the last song is interrupted only once when the poet thinks for a moment of her sad past ("the dreadful outer brink of obvious death, where I, who thought to sink, was caught up into love.") At the word "love", the happy mood returns. Starting first gently, the music becomes more and more joyful and the sonnet ends in an exuberantly happy mood, reminding us perhaps of the reawakening of nature in spring.