One of the band members is Olive Oyl's brother Castor, in a nonspeaking role. He is the short man who plays the flute.
Another of the band members is Oscar, Popeye's friend and Swee' Pea's bucktooth babysitter from the Thimble Theatre comic strip.
The unkempt wig worn by Bluto is a reference to the hair style of famed conductor Leopold Stokowski.
Fantasia (1940) was still 5 years away when this classical-music-based short was released. Of course, it was much more slapstick, as the series generally was.
Olive's harp has a carved head at the top, though whether of a dragon or a goofy human is left to the viewer to decide .