Final answer:
The speaker in 'A Song for St. Cecilia's Day' likens music to the cosmic order of the universe, illuminating its perceived role as both an orderly art form and a fundamental aspect of existence and knowledge.
Step-by-step explanation:
In "A Song for St. Cecilia's Day," the speaker compares music, which they view as the most orderly of art forms, to the original ordering of the universe. References to lyres and harmony suggest that music is connected to a cosmic order, much like the movements of heavenly bodies and the well-tuned laws of the universe. The implication is that music is not just an art form but a fundamental aspect of existence that reverberates with the structure of the cosmos, as seen in lines like "Spirits moving musically" and the contemplation of sound and syllables by the careful tuning of a lyre. Furthermore, historical perspectives on music as a principal means of religious instruction and intellectual effort towards recreating classical scholarship reaffirm the idea that music is intrinsically woven into the fabric of society and knowledge.