Saint Cecilia with Saints

Saint Cecilia is depicted in spiritual ecstasy, looking upward at a heavenly choir while holding an organ with pipes slipping from their frame. At her feet lie several broken and discarded musical instruments, including a viola da gamba and a tambourine, signifying the rejection of earthly sound for divine harmony. The surrounding saints observe the scene with expressions of deep contemplation and reverence.

This composition illustrates the Renaissance Neoplatonic hierarchy of music, specifically the transition from 'musica instrumentalis' (man-made music) to 'musica mundana' (the music of the spheres). This transition reflects Marsilio Ficino’s theories on the soul's ascent to the divine through the medium of sacred harmony and celestial inspiration.