Dryden, John -- Poem (1687), “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day,” “Grand Chorus”

Dave — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 15:52:39 +0000

As from the pow’r of Sacred Lays
The Spheres began to move,
And sung the great Creator’s praise
To all the bless’d above;
So when the last and dreadful Hour
This crumbling Pageant shall devour,
The TRUMPET shall be heard on high,
The dead shall live, the living die,
And MUSICK shall untune the Sky.

John Dryden (1631–1700) English poet, dramatist, critic
Poem (1687), “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day,” “Grand Chorus”

This was from the first ode to the occasion Dryden wrote (the second was "Alexander's Feast" (1697)). It was set to music at the time by Draghi, an Italian composer, and later by Handel (1730s).

WIST Quotations

Dryden, John -- Poem (1687), “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day,” “Grand Chorus”