Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Roman Martyr (230 AD) is traditionally the patroness of music and the inventor of the organ. Dryden’s poem, Feast of Alexander, is written to celebrate Saint Cecilia’s Day on November 22, 1697.
The poem begins with Alexander the Great, son of Philip, King of Macedonia, sitting next to Thais, the charming young Athenian courtesan, enjoying the banquet in the Persian city of Persepolis in celebration of his victory over the Persian King Darius III in 331B. vs. They introduce us to the court musician Timothy with his lyre and then tell us that Alexander was in fact the son of Jupiter, King of the gods and Olympia. Thus, “the ruler of the world” begot the conqueror of the world.
Timothy sings in praise of Bacchus and the scene is filled with drunken revelry. Since drinking is the sweet pleasure of the soldier, Alexander grows in vain and returns to fight all his battles in his mind. Seeing the madness in Alejandro’s eyes, Timoteo changes his song to one designed to create a state of compassion. He sings about the fall of Darius, the Persian king, who was great and good, but was abandoned by his own followers and his dead body was exposed to the bare earth. The joy of victory evaporates from Alexander, and he sighs and begins to shed tears. Godliness prepares the mind for love, and love is the theme of Timothy’s next song. Alexander looks at the beautiful lady Thais and sighs. Finally, oppressed by wine and love, the “defeated hero” sinks into Thais’s chest.
Timothy now changes the music to a stronger tension and wakes up sleeping Alexander to action. “Revenge,” shouts Timoteo. The ghosts of Greek soldiers killed in battle cry out for vengeance. Music ignites Alexander with a great zeal to destroy. Thais takes Alexander to burn Persepolis. In this, she is like Helen, whose passion for the Trojan prince Paris caused the Greeks to burn Troy.
Finally, Santa Cecilia, inventor of the organ, arrived. Inspired by God, expand the boundaries of music by adding length to musical notes. Cecilia is superior to Timoteo, Dryden declares. Old Timothy should give him the prize, or at least divide the crown.
“Raised a mortal to the skies
She drew an angel down. “
Timothy raised Alexander to heaven by creating the delusion of divine status in the King’s mind. But Cecilia’s music brought an angel from heaven.
In Alexander’s Feast, music is shown to have a great influence. Timoteo attracts his teacher Alejandro to different states of mind: pride, bacchanal revelry, martial zeal, piety, love and religious devotion. The rhythms and sounds in the choruses of each verse echo the changing emotions of the hero.
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