Poetry and music go together like, well, you get the picture. Sound and musicality are a big deal in poetry, so a poem about a musician and his instrument kind of makes sense. In "The Guitarist Tunes Up," the preparation and performance clearly have a big impact on the speaker. Like most art forms, music has the ability to transport us and to make us see the world a little differently. In this case, Cornford may have seen some similarities between the process of creating music and her own creative process.
Questions About Art and Culture
- What has a greater influence on the speaker, the visual impression of the musician and his instrument or the sound of the musician tuning up and then playing his song? Why?
- Do you think the speaker would have made the same comparison between the musician and his instrument and the lovers if she had attended some other kind of musical recital? Why or why not? How might a different kind of performance change the poem?
- Does Cornford use any figurative language to demonstrate the speaker's transformed view of the guitarist tuning his guitar? If you said yes, what kind of figurative language does she use and why? If you said no, think again.
Chew on This
Music often inspires artists working in other mediums. "The Guitarist Tunes Up" is an example of a poem that could not have been written without the inspiration offered by music and musicians.
Despite its title, music is a secondary concern in "The Guitarist Tunes Up." Cornford could have written the same poem using a painter and his paintbrush as comparison points. What inspired the poem was the creative energy and passion that is present in almost any artistic pursuit.