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John Tenniel, St. Cecilia (1850) illustrating Dryden's ode, in the Parliament Poets' Hall. "A Song for St. Cecilia's Day" (1687) is the first of two odes written by the English Poet Laureate John Dryden for the annual festival of Saint Cecilia 's Day observed in London every 22 November from 1683 to 1703. The ode was sponsored by the Musical ...
- Summary
- Structure
- Figures of Speech
- Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
- Historical Context
- Similar Poetry
Dryden separated this poem into eight sections. In each stanza, he talks about different aspects of music and classical musicians. The first stanza introduces to the audience how divine harmony lies in everything. Music, being a divine art form, infuses life into nature. From the following stanzas, the poetic personatalks about different instrument...
‘A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day’ is separated into eight stanzas. The first seven verses are sung by a single voice. While the last stanza is meant for the “Grand Chorus.” As it is a song occasioned for St. Cecilia’s Day on 22nd November 1687, it has such a structure. The first stanza is the longest one and it contains 15 lines. If a reader looks at ...
Readers can find several literary devices in this poem that makes this song more engaging to the readers. To begin with, there is a metaphor in the “heap of jarring atoms.” There is an alliteration in the phrase, “heave her head.” It contains a repetitionof the “h” sound. Right after that comes a polysyndeton in the line, “Then cold, and hot, and m...
Stanza One
‘A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day’ begins with a reference to the “Heavenly harmony.” According to Dryden, this harmony, supervised by God, lies in the whole universe. The universal frame began with this harmony when “Nature” was nothing but a “heap of jarring atoms.” God bound them in order and formed this earth. By the reference to “Heavenly harmony,” it seems Dryden is alluding to the Newtonian model of the universe. He personifiesnature and says nature could not heave her head higher after it...
Stanza Two
In the second stanza, the poetic persona refers to the power of music. He says music can raise and quell extreme passion. When Jubal struck the corded shell, his brethren stood around him wondering about his composition. On their faces, there was an awe-inspiring look. It seems to the speaker that they were worshiping that “celestial sound” coming from Jubal’s shell. In the Bible, Jubal is described as the “ancestor of all who played the harp and flute.” He played the “kinnor”, also known as...
Stanza Three
In the case of the trumpet’s sound, its “loud clangor” excites the listeners to arms. By the line, “Excites us to arms,” Dryden presents the imageryof soldiers getting ready for a battle. The clangor of the trumpet also imitates the moodof anger. It is often used to give “mortal alarms.” While the beating of a “thundering drum” cries and harks the arrival of enemy forces. Hearing the sound, the soldiers cry out, “Charge, charge, ’tis too late to retreat.” In this way, the third stanza revolve...
‘A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day’ was occasioned for the ceremony of the patron saint of music, Cecilia’s feat. Dryden wrote this poem for the musical celebration of St. Cecilia’s Day, observed on 22nd November 1687, a year before his term as the poet laureate of the UKended. Saint Cecilia (Sancta Caecilia in Latin) is a Roman martyr. She became the p...
Here is a list of some poems that similarly revolve around the divine qualities of music like Dryden talks about in his poem, ‘A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day’. 1. Stanzas for Musicby Lord Byron– It’s one of Byron’s best poetry. This poem contains the words of a speaker believing his beloved has spiritual divinity and power. Explore more Lord Byron po...
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Oct 2, 2021 · The Crystal Palace organ was—in the terms of the day—large, comprising seventy speaking stops over three manuals and pedals (coincidentally it now forms the basis of the organ of Winchester Cathedral). 15 With a version of pneumatic action to Great and Swell, the two principal divisions in most British organs, where wind pressure assists with the organ’s internal mechanisms, the ...
- Francis O’Gorman
- 2021
- “On His Blindness” (1655) WHEN I consider how my light is spent. Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, And that one Talent which is death to hide.
- Samson Agonistes (1671) In this genre-bending poem which is neither quite a closet drama nor quite a long verse narrative, Milton deploys all the structural tropes of Greek tragedy but—true to his Hebrew historical theme—eschews his usual classical allusions.
- “On his Deceased Wife” (1658) METHOUGHT I saw my late espoused saint. Brought to me like Alcestis from the grave, Whom Jove’s great son to her glad husband gave,
- Paradise Lost (1667) I won’t drench these in commentary; the great epic speaks for itself. Instead, I’ll quickly mention where each passage falls in the story, and then let you read for yourself.
Cecilia, the patron saint of music who is supposed to have invented the organ. St. Cecilia, with her organ music, could perform a greater miracle than Orpheus. If Orpheus charmed the trees and beasts with music, Cecilia's music brought an angel to the earth. Dryden has cleverly fused two aspects of the Cecilia legend to suit his purposes.
The organ and the organist who volunteered to play. This was written, under the pseudonym of W B Glenroy as the lyrics for a song (music by Henry Lamb a pseudonym of Henry Spaulding). This is allegedly based on a real incident at the Christian Herald Bowery Mission, 227 Bowery near Prince Street, New York, NY 10002.
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John Nicholson Ireland (13 August 1879 – 12 June 1962) [1] was an English composer and teacher of music. The majority of his output consists of piano miniatures and of songs with piano. His best-known works include the short instrumental or orchestral work "The Holy Boy", a setting of the poem "Sea-Fever" by John Masefield, a formerly much ...
