Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

David Wagoner?s "Advice to the Orchestra" delivers an electrifying exhortation to music-makers, calling for a performance that transcends mere entertainment to become a force of nature. With its cascading imperatives and vivid imagery, the poem transforms the orchestra into a kind of cosmic engine, unleashing a torrent of sound that disrupts, consumes, and reshapes the world.

The poem begins with a modest metaphor, likening the musicians to "pieces of string"—unassuming, inert, and seemingly trivial. This characterization sets the stage for a dramatic transformation as the orchestra takes on an extraordinary mission. The command to "brush over the rows and thrust / Music like brooms under their chairs" signals the beginning of a visceral awakening. Here, music becomes an active, almost invasive presence, sweeping away the mundane and rattling the audience out of their passivity. The imagery of "cats, purses, and the dust" being roused from beneath chairs underscores the disruptive power of art, compelling even the most inert objects and beings into motion.

The poem’s progression is frenetic, as Wagoner instructs the musicians to pursue their audience relentlessly, refusing them any refuge. The commands—"Assault their tails with chorts and tootles, oompahs and glissandos"—are playful yet urgent, suggesting that music should overwhelm and envelop, chasing listeners across landscapes both literal and metaphorical. This pursuit extends far beyond the confines of the concert hall, taking the orchestra into "dumps and suburbs," over treacherous roads, and across turbulent waters. Wagoner’s use of dynamic verbs such as "slide," "spiral," and "strike" emphasizes the ceaseless energy of the music, its capacity to break barriers and penetrate hidden corners of existence.

As the poem unfolds, the orchestra’s mission takes on a nearly apocalyptic dimension. The music becomes an elemental force, capable of consuming its instruments and defying the physical limitations of sound. The phrase "Your music must consume its instruments / Or die lost" encapsulates the poem’s central ethos: true art must transcend its material constraints and become something greater than itself. The "elbow-joints and valves, in snaggle and crook" of the orchestra’s instruments represent not only the mechanical components of music-making but also the barriers to achieving a pure, transformative expression. Wagoner demands that the musicians push beyond these constraints, creating a sound that reverberates through the universe.

The poem’s crescendo arrives with the invocation of "spherical thunder" and "gravel-throated, unharmonious earth." Here, music becomes a primal force, rising from the depths of the earth and extending beyond the atmosphere. Wagoner’s use of cosmic imagery—"through the cabbage leaves and angels of the moon" and "the mercurial archangels"—elevates the orchestra’s performance to a metaphysical level. The music is no longer confined to human experience; it engages with the heavens, challenging the celestial order and disrupting the "principalities and powers" of the cosmos. The final lines, with their references to "virtues and jovial dominations" and "saturnine thrones," invoke a kind of mythic rebellion, as the orchestra’s sound topples the hierarchies of gods and angels alike.

The tone of the poem oscillates between playful irreverence and solemn grandeur. The whimsical commands to "give them music to break their glasses, to knock their eyelids up like hatbrims" contrast sharply with the later, almost reverential invocation of celestial beings. This tonal duality reflects the multifaceted nature of music itself, which can be both a source of joy and a vehicle for profound existential inquiry. Wagoner’s language is richly textured, blending colloquial expressions with elevated diction, and his inventive use of sound—through alliteration, assonance, and rhythm—mirrors the very subject of the poem.

"Advice to the Orchestra" is a celebration of music’s transformative power and a call to embrace its full potential. Wagoner envisions the orchestra not as a passive entertainer but as an active, world-shaping force capable of altering the physical and metaphysical realms. The poem challenges both musicians and listeners to reconsider their relationship with art, urging them to approach it not with complacency but with awe and a willingness to be changed. Through its vivid imagery and dynamic structure, the poem itself becomes a kind of symphony, resonating with the boundless energy and ambition it seeks to inspire.

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