1
From harmony, from Heavenly harmony
This
universal frame began.
When Nature underneath a heap
Of
jarring atoms lay,
And could not heave her head,
The tuneful voice was heard from high,
"Arise,
ye more than dead."
Then cold, and hot, and moist, and dry,
In order to their stations
leap,
And music's power
obey.
From harmony, from Heavenly harmony
This universal
frame began:
From harmony to
harmony
Through all the compass of the notes it ran,
The diapason closing full in man.
2
What passion cannot music raise and quell!
When Jubal struck
the corded shell,
His list'ning brethren stood around
And wondering, on their faces fell
To worship that celestial sound:
Less than a god they thought there could not dwell
Within the hollow
of that shell
That spoke so
sweetly and so well.
What passion cannot music raise and quell!
3
The trumpet's loud clangor
Excites us to
arms
With shrill notes of anger
And mortal alarms.
The double double double beat
Of the thundering
drum
Cries: "Hark! the foes come;
Charge, charge, 'tis too late to retreat."
4
The soft complaining flute
In dying notes discovers
The woes of hopeless lovers,
Whose dirge is whispered by the warbling lute.
5
Sharp violins proclaim
Their jealous pangs, and desperation,
Fury, frantic indignation,
Depth of pains and height of passion,
For the fair, disdainful dame.
6
But Oh! what art can teach
What human voice can reach
The sacred organ's praise?
Notes inspiring holy love,
Notes that wing their Heavenly ways
To mend the choirs above.
7
Orpheus could lead the savage race;
And trees unrooted left their place;
Sequacious of the
lyre:
But bright Cecilia raised the wonder higher;
When to her organ, vocal breath was given,
An angel heard, and straight appeared
Mistaking earth
for Heaven.
GRAND CHORUS
As from the power of sacred lays
The spheres began to move,
And sung the great Creator's praise
To all the blessed 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 music shall untune the sky.
