"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 Saint Cecilia ( la, Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She b ...

's Day observed in London every 22 November from 1683 to 1703. The ode was sponsored by the

Musical Society of London A Musical Society of London was formed in 1683, and commissioned works from Henry Purcell. However, the term usually refers to an organisation which existed in the middle of the 19th century. It was founded in April 1858 by Charles Kensington Sala ...

and twice set to music.

Background

was, according to her legend, 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 Septimius Severus. Chaucer has celebrated this legend in the "Second Nonne's Tale", which is almost a literal translation from the "Golden Legend" of Jacobus Januensis. As all professions and fraternities, in ancient times, made choice of a tutelar saint, Cecilia was elected the protectress of music and musicians. It was even believed that she had invented the

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, although no good authority can be discovered for such an assertion. Her festival was celebrated from an early period by those of the profession over whom she presided. The revival of letters, with the Restoration, was attended with a similar resuscitation of the musical art; but the formation of a Musical Society, for the annual commemoration of St Cecilia's day, did not take place until 1680. An ode, written for the occasion, was set to music by the most able professor, and rehearsed before the society and their stewards upon 22 November, the day dedicated to their patroness. The first effusions of this kind are miserable enough. Edmond Malone preserved a few verses of an ode, by an anonymous author, in 1633; that of 1684 was furnished by Oldham, whom Dryden commemorated by an elegy; that of 1685 was written by Nahum Tate. There was no performance in 1686; and, in 1687, Dryden furnished this ode, which was set to music by Draghi, an eminent Italian composer. Of the annual festival, Motteux gives the following account:

Appraisal

According to

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

: "In his first ode for Cecilia's day, which is lost in the splendor of the second, there are passages which would have dignified any other poet. The first stanza is vigorous and elegant, though the word ''diapason'' is too technical, and the rhymes are too remote from one another." He continues: "The conclusion is likewise striking, but it includes an image so awful in itself, that it can owe little to poetry; and I could wish the antithesis of ''musick untuning'' had found some other place."

Settings

Italian composer Giovanni Battista Draghi wrote the first musical arrangement for "A Song for St. Cecilia's Day" in 1687. In the 1730s,

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

wrote new musical scores for both "A Song for St. Cecilia's Day" and Dryden's second ode on the same theme, "

Alexander's Feast Alexander's Feast may refer to: * Alexander's Feast (Dryden) * Alexander's Feast (Handel) ''Alexander's Feast'' ( HWV 75) is an ode with music by George Frideric Handel set to a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton. Hamilton adapted his libretto from Jo ...

" (1697). In 1958, American composer

Norman Dello Joio Norman Dello Joio (January 24, 1913July 24, 2008) was an American composer active for over half a century. He won a 1957 Pulitzer Prize#Letters, Drama, Pulitzer Prize in 1957. Life Dello Joio was born Nicodemo DeGioio in New York City to It ...

once again put the ode to music in his cantata for mixed voices and piano or brass instruments, and called it "To Saint Cecilia".''YouTube''.

References

Bibliography

* Scott, Walter (1808). ''The Works of John Dryden, Now First Collected in Eighteen Volumes''. Vol. 11. Edinburgh: James Ballantyne and Co. pp. 165–170. * Falle, G. G. (2022)
"A Song for St. Cecilia's Day, 1687"
''RPO: Representative Poetry Online''. University of Toronto Libraries. Accessed 10 March 2022. * Bray, Roger (August 1997)
"Dryden and Draghi in Harmony in the 1687 'Song for St Cecilia's Day'"
''Music & Letters'', 78(3): pp. 319–336. * Johnson, Samuel (1794). "Dryden". In '' The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets''. New ed. Vol. 2. London: T. Cadell Strand. pp. 147–148. * Mambrol, Nasrullah (6 July 2020)
"Analysis of John Dryden's Alexander's Feast"
''Literariness: Literary Theory and Criticism''. Accessed 10 March 2022. * Scott, Horton (23 November 2007)
"A Song for St Cecilia's Day"
''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

''. Accessed 10 March 2022. * Trammell, Jena (21 February 2003)
"A Song for Saint Cecilia's Day"
''The Literary Encyclopedia''. Anderson University. Accessed 10 March 2022.
"Norman Dello Joio: To Saint Cecilia (1958)"
''YouTube''. 3 May 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.

''Explore Parliament and the Royal Palace of Westminster''. Accessed 4 July 2022. {{Authority control 1680s poems Poetry by John Dryden Historical poems