What symbolism can be found in the music, and how does it help teach the lesson of the story?

Ah, a good question. The music both sets and reflect the mood within the story. Look at this line: " And these—the dreams—writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps." At first the music had mostly set the stage: to have music in this period meant money, and to have musicians during the plague meant an act of defiance. However, with that line about the dream, a reader can begin to see how the music changes to reflect what is happening in the story. It gets wild because things are falling apart. And when it stops, that's because the party (and life) is about to stop.