Ode (poem)
Encyclopedia
Ode is a poem written in 1874 by the English
poet Arthur O'Shaughnessy
. It is often referred to by its first line We are the music makers.
The Ode is the first poem in O'Shaughnessy's collection Music and Moonlight. It has nine stanzas, although it is commonly believed to be only three stanzas long. The opening stanza is:
The phrase "movers and shakers" originates here.
The words have inspired many people and have been admired by many poets, including W. B. Yeats
The poem has been set to music, or alluded to, many times:
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
poet Arthur O'Shaughnessy
Arthur O'Shaughnessy
Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy was a British poet of Irish descent, born in London.-Biography:At the age of seventeen, in June 1861, Arthur O'Shaughnessy received the post of transcriber in the library of the British Museum, reportedly through the influence of Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton...
. It is often referred to by its first line We are the music makers.
The Ode is the first poem in O'Shaughnessy's collection Music and Moonlight. It has nine stanzas, although it is commonly believed to be only three stanzas long. The opening stanza is:
- We are the music makers,
- And we are the dreamers of dreams,
- Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
- And sitting by desolate streams;—
- World-losers and world-forsakers,
- On whom the pale moon gleams:
- Yet we are the movers and shakers
- Of the world for ever, it seems.
The phrase "movers and shakers" originates here.
The words have inspired many people and have been admired by many poets, including W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
The poem has been set to music, or alluded to, many times:
- Edward ElgarEdward ElgarSir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
's The Music Makers, Op. 69, uses the entire poem. - The Hungarian composer Zoltán KodályZoltán KodályZoltán Kodály was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method.-Life:Born in Kecskemét, Kodály learned to play the violin as a child....
also made a setting for and dedicated to Merton College, OxfordMerton College, OxfordMerton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
on the occasion of its 700th anniversary in 1964. - English folk singer Vikki Clayton set the first three stanzas as the title track from her 1997 album 'Movers and Shakers'. http://www.vikkiclayton.co.uk/albums.htm
Cultural references and parodies
- In the feature film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryWilly Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a golden ticket and visits Willy...
, after Willy WonkaWilly WonkaThis article is about the fictional character. For the candy company, see, The Willy Wonka Candy Company.Willy Wonka is a fictional character in the 1964 Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the film adaptations that followed. The book and the 1971 film adaption both vividly...
(Gene WilderGene WilderGene Wilder is an American stage and screen actor, director, screenwriter, and author.Wilder began his career on stage, making his screen debut in the film Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. His first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1968 film The Producers...
) states that "The snozberries taste like snozberries!", Veruca SaltCharlie and the Chocolate FactoryCharlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's book by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of the eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka....
responds in an arrogant tone, "Snozberries? Who ever heard of a snozberry?". Willy Wonka grabs her mouth and replies, "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."- A sampleSamplingSampling may refer to:*Sampling , converting a continuous signal into a discrete signal*Sampling , converting continuous colors into discrete color components*Sampling , re-using portions of sound recordings in a piece...
of Willy Wonka's line appears at the beginning of BassnectarBassnectarBassnectar is a freeform electronic music and dubstep artist, DJ, and producer based in Santa Cruz, California. He is known for his live performances and light shows, and actively supports the non-profit group Conscious Alliance....
's album "Motions of Mutation." - The track "Nephatiti" from 808 State808 State808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind...
's album Ex:elEx:elex:el is an album by electronic music group 808 State which reached #4 in the UK Albums Chart on its release in 1991 and features the UK Top 40 singles "Cubik" - #10 in November 1990, "In Yer Face" - #9 in February 1991 and "Lift" - #38 in August 1991....
uses a sample of Willy Wonka saying "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams." - The track "Dream Makers" by Kuffdam & Plant uses a sample of Willy Wonka saying "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."
- The introduction of the song "Nothing Less (Ft. Slug)" by the rap group Living LegendsLiving LegendsLiving Legends is a rap group composed of eight hip hop artists from California. Beginning in the early 1990s, the crew garnered a following by recording, promoting, and performing their music independently...
begins with the sample of Willy Wonka. - The Aphex TwinAphex TwinRichard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
track "We Are the Music Makers" from Selected Ambient Works 85-92 begins with a sample of Willy Wonka. It is repeated a number of times throughout the track. - EcholynEcholynEcholyn is an American progressive rock band based in eastern Pennsylvania.- Origins and first phase :Echolyn was formed in 1989 when guitarist Brett Kull and drummer Paul Ramsey, members of a recently split cover band called Narcissus, joined with keyboardist Chris Buzby to form a new band to...
's 1992 song "A Little Nonsense" contains a sample of Wonka saying the phrase. The song's title also references another quote which Wonka sings, "A little nonsense now and then / Is relished by the wisest men."
- A sample
- The first stanza is quoted in the animated TV show American Dad on Season 5, Episode 6.
- DJ ZincDJ ZincBenjamin Pettit, better known by his stage name DJ Zinc, is a drum and bass / breakstep DJ from the United Kingdom. Zinc is well known for 1995's "Super Sharp Shooter", a hip hop / jungle fusion.-Biography:...
's track "Music Makers" repeats this phrase throughout the song. - Joy ElectricJoy ElectricJoy Electric is the brand label for a series of electropop/synth pop productions by Ronnie Martin. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of Dance House Children, a band Ronnie was in with his brother Jason Martin of Starflyer 59. Starflyer 59 bass player...
's 1996 album We Are the Music MakersWe Are the Music MakersFor the band of the same name see We Are the Music Makers We Are the Music Makers is an album by Joy Electric. The title is based on a poem by Arthur O'Shaughnessy. This album was Martin's first attempt at making an album using only a synthesizer,...
is a reference to the first line. - The track "Movers And Shakers" by Eden BurningEden BurningEden Burning were a popular Christian band from Cheltenham led by Paul Northup. They originally met as members of Charlton Kings Baptist church, and were active within the Christian music community between 1989 and 1996. Their style — a mixture of "folk and the odd grungy guitar flying around", as...
begins with a setting of the first stanza of "Ode". - The track "Reflector" on the album Geräuschinformatik by Autoaggression contains the entire first stanza of "Ode" and part of the final stanza.
- The phrase "movers and shakers" commonly used in the realms of business and politics to describe a person who is highly influential within their field (phrase began to gain currency around 1972) was borrowed from this poem.
- The track "Music Makers" by ILSIls (producer)Ils is an English musician and producer, who has released records on labels including Marine Parade and Distinct'ive Records. Ils started his production career on LTJ Bukem's drum and bass label, Good Looking Records. He was signed to Marine Parade by owner Adam Freeland, who cited Ils' unique...
the track starts off with "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams." - The first stanza of the ode is printed in the front of The Music Makers, a novel by E. V. Thompson, set in Ireland.
- "Ode" is quoted at the end of the movie Last Summer in the HamptonsLast Summer in the HamptonsLast Summer in the Hamptons is a 1995 movie directed by Henry Jaglom and released by Rainbow Releasing and Live Entertainment and features a large eclectic ensemble cast....
(1995). - The line "We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams" is quoted in the song "Jenny and Her Vega Machine" from the John McGurgan album Gipsy Street. The line is also adapted later within the song to "We make the music makers, we make the dreamers out of those dreams".
- The initial verse is used at the start of the Raymond E. FeistRaymond E. FeistRaymond Elias Feist is an American author who primarily writes fantasy fiction. He is best known for The Riftwar Cycle series of novels and short stories. His books have been translated into multiple languages and have sold over 15 million copies.- Biography :Raymond E...
novel Rage of a Demon King. - In the Hollywood party scene in Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's musical Merrily We Roll AlongMerrily We Roll Along (musical)Merrily We Roll Along is a musical with a book by George Furth and lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart....
, the character Mary sardonically surveys the other guests and comments "These are the movers / These are the shapers / These are the people / That fill the papers." - The poem is used in the introduction of Elizabeth Hayden's book The Assassin KingThe Assassin KingThe Assassin King is the sixth book in the Elizabeth Haydon series, the Symphony of Ages, released December 26th, 2006, by Tor Books.-Plot Summary:...
. - Lines from the first stanza were used in advertisements for the Dell Studio line of notebook PCs.
- The song "Dreamers of Dreamz" by D-Block & S-Te-FanD-Block & S-te-FanD-Block & S-te-Fan are two hardstyle artists from The Netherlands. They started co-producing in 2004. Bakker grew up with his father producing electronic music, which allowed him to learn musical skills very early in his childhood...
contains "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams." - The opening line has been incorporated into the name of the New York band We Are the Music MakersWe Are the Music Makers (band)We Are the Music Makers was a new prog quartet from Brooklyn, New York founded by Adam Castro and Michael Calabrese in 2005. Their name was derived from a line of the poem "Ode" by Arthur O'Shaughnessy, widely popularized by the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Their music drew from many...
, and the Singaporean Orchestra of the Music MakersOrchestra of the Music MakersThe Orchestra of the Music Makers is a Singaporean symphony orchestra composed of both volunteer and professional young musicians. It performed its first concert in August 2008 in the Victoria Concert Hall and has since been recognized as the most promising youth orchestra in Singapore with its...
. - the line "We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams" is quoted in the song "Shapeshifters" from the The apparitions album "as this is futuristic".