Hello and welcome to the Discourse. John Dryden began his career during the Protectorate under Oliver Cromwell. He saw the times when under Puritan pressure, all sorts of entertainment, theaters, and music were banned in England. However, Dryden was a student of Westminster school and he was well trained in rhetoric with an ability to present arguments for both sides of a given issue. Despite being an ardent follower of Oliver Cromwell, he had Royalist leaning and he celebrated the Restoration in 1660 after the return of King Charles II with his poem Astraea Redux. He then engaged himself in writing various plays as theaters were reopened and he enthusiastically celebrated the annual festival of Saint Cecilia's Day observed in London every 22 November from 1683 to 1703. Saint Cecilia was considered a patron of music and musicians. In 1687, John Dryden presented A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day which was the first of the two odes written by him for the annual function of Saint Cecilia’s Day. The other more famous ode was Alexander’s Feast which he presented in 1697.
Characters of A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day:
The poem is dedicated to Saint Cecilia who was a Roman virgin of rank, who flourished during the reign of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. She was a Christian, and, by her purity of life, and constant employment in the praises of her Maker, while yet on earth, obtained intercourse with an angel. Being married to Valerianus, a Pagan, she not only prevailed upon him to abstain from using any familiarity with her person but converted him and his brother to Christianity. They were all martyrs for the faith in the reign of Septimus Severus. Cecilia is said to have sat apart from the ceremony and sung her praises to God, which later earned her the title of Patroness of Musicians. Her feast is celebrated on November 22nd. Dryden personifies Nature in the first stanza as a character. Jubal is a figure from the Hebrew Bible regarded as "the father of all who plays harp and flute." He played the Kinnor, an Israelite stringed instrument comparable to a harp or lyre, referred to in the poem as the "corded shell." Orpheus is a poet and musician from Greek mythology who was said to be able to charm all living things with his music. Some claim that Orpheus was able to introduce order and civilization to savages through his musical talents and even make trees and rivers dance, hence Dryden uses allusion to Orpheus in the poem as "lead[ing] the savage race" and "trees uprooted leav[ing] their place." Impressed by the beauty of Saint Cecilia’s music, an Angel mistakes Earth for Heaven and appears at the scene. This could be a reference to the angel who watches over Cecilia in the story of her marriage to Valerian. The Spheres are representatives of God’s creation. Dryden personifies them in this poem as the spheres sing God's praises in a grand chorus as they are created and begin to move.
Structure of A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day:
The poem is divided into eight stanzas. The first stanza is the longest one with 15 lines. The number of lines in each stanza continues to decrease till the fourth Stanza and then again, the stanzas start becoming longer. The poem doesn’t follow any strict metrical pattern, however, most of the lines are written in iambic meter. Similarly, while there are some rhyming couplets in the poem, it lacks any specific rhyming pattern. Dryden used the alternative and closed rhyming scheme.
Summary:
The poem begins with a reference to ‘Heavenly Harmony.’ Dryden suggests that God supervised a harmony that lies in the whole universe, that is, the whole universe is based on a Godly musical harmony. Dryden says that at the beginning, nature was nothing but a “heap of jarring atoms” that God bound to create Earth. It appears as if Dryden is alluding to the Newtonian model of the universe while referencing the gravitational pull as the heavenly harmony. He then personifies Nature and says that while nature was in slumbers, she heard a “tuneful voice” from heaven that raised her up. Dryden says that this heavenly music caused the seasonal cycle. Dryden further says that all the compasses of the musical notes aligned and made the earth revolve and ultimately, these musical notes, in all possible ranges (diapason) closed “full in man.” That is, the heavenly music resulted in the creation of man. The first stanza ends here.
In the second stanza, the poet describes 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. This is a Biblical reference. Jubal is described as the “ancestor of all who played the harp and flute.” He played the “kinnor”, also known as the harp, and the “uggab,” a Hebrew alternative for the flute.
In the third stanza, the poet continues to describe the power of music while depicting some well-known musical instruments. He describes the trumpet’s sound as a “loud clangor” that excites the soldiers and fills them with enthusiasm. The same loud clangor expresses anger and warns the enemy as it acts as a “mortal alarm.” On the other hand, the beating of a “thundering drum” cries and harks the arrival of enemy forces. The thundering sound of drums alarm the soldiers and they get ready with all their might to resist the enemy as they say “Charge, charge, ’tis too late to retreat.”
In the fourth stanza, Dryden describes the soft and sensuous sound of the flute. The soft sound of the flute appears to be imitating a complaining voice. In the dying notes of it, the listeners can imagine the woes of hopeless lovers. The poet says that their dirge is whispered by the “warbling lute.”
Dryden describes the violin in the fifth stanza. He says that the soft sound of the flute invigorates the ‘sharp violins.’ Violins express strong and loud emotions and when the poet hears them, the sound reflects the musician’s depth of pain and height of passion for the fair, disdainful dame. So, the violin player seems to be a victim of unrequited love. Music is the medium using which he expresses his love as well as his pain.
In the sixth stanza, Dryden suggests that a human’s voice is inferior to the sound of musical instruments as it doesn’t have that divinity. However, he says that some humans with specific divine enlightenment gain that capacity and mentions Saint Cecilia. He mentions how a holy spirit inspired Saint Cecilia. Her notes inspired holy love in humans. Not only that, her composition rose higher to heaven and mended the choirs above. In this way, Dryden refers to the healing and constructive qualities of music, especially Cecilia’s music.
The seventh stanza begins with the praise of Orpheus, a Greek poet, prophet, and musician who could play the lute in such a manner that made the savage race of Greece obey and respect him. His music could inspire humans and nature to respond to it. The trees got uprooted from their place as he played his music. Dryden says that Orpheus perfected the lyre. He again comes back to praise Saint Cecilia and says that she raised the wonder higher than Orpheus. When she gave her vocal breath to her organ, it reached heaven. An angel heard her music and he straightly appeared, mistaking earth for heaven. Such was the magnificence of Cecilia’s composition.
In the last stanza, Dryden says that from the power of Cecilia’s sacred music the spheres began to move. Her music had the power to infuse life into all the inanimate objects. Hearing her organ, they came into life and sang the great creator’s praise. They sang for all the blessed angels residing in heaven.
When the last and dreadful hour (a metaphorical reference to death) came, the crumbling pageant shall devour the creation. The trumpet shall be heard in heaven. Those who have died will come to life and the living will die. Along with that, her music will untune the sky. In this way, the poe t refers to the mightiness of Cecilia’s divine music, comparable to the power of God.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the History of English Literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards.
No comments:
Post a Comment