A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Dryden
- First Published: 1687
- Type of Work: Ode
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry, Ode
- Subjects: Creation myth, Love or romance, Music or musicians, Religion, Emotions, Drums or drummers, Saints or sainthood, Musical instruments, Violins or violinists, Flutes or flute players, Heaven, Organs, organ music, or organists
The Poem
The first of John Dryden’s two Saint Cecilia’s Day odes, “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day,” was written to commemorate November 22 as the day devoted to the patron saint of music. His second, Alexander’s Feast (1697), a longer and more elaborate composition, appeared ten years later, near the end of Dryden’s career. The practice of writing odes to commemorate St. Cecilia began in England in 1683, and Dryden was among the first poets to write at the invitation of a London musical society. Giovanni Battista Draghi’s musical adaptation, the first of...
[The entire page is 1567 words long]
