Thursday April 10 – singing in Spring
This 13th century song of spring [a Rota http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rota_(music)], can remind 21st century city dwellers that Spring’s awakening has made people a little crazy — playful — for a long time.
Here’s a 2 minute performance by Centre County Chorus in 2012, not in Middle English but still lovely.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrXjmPT3au8).
And here is a Middle English version found at this link: http://www.pteratunes.org.uk/Music/Music/Lyrics/summerisicumenin.html
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Sumer Is Icumen In |
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| This song is remarkable for being ahead of its time. It is a cannon in four parts sung over a two part “foot” or bass line, itself a cannon in two parts. This makes the whole song a polyphonic composition in six parts at a time when the most “advanced” music was in two or three part polyphony. The music with performance instructions was in a manuscript, originally in Reading Abbey. | |
| Svmer is icumen in Lhude sing cuccu! Groweþ sed and bloweþ med and springþ þe wde nu. Sing cuccu! |
Summer is a-coming in Loudly sing cuckoo Groweth seed and bloweth mead and springs the wood anew Sing cuckoo! |
| Awe bleteþ after lomb, lhouþ after calue cu, Bulluc sterteþ, bucke uerteþ. Murie sing cuccu! Cuccu, cuccu, Wel singes þu cuccu. ne swik þu nauer nu! Sing cuccu nu, Sing cuccu! |
Ewe bleateth aft-er lamb, Calf loweth after cow, Bullock starteth, buck farteth, Merry sing cuckoo! Cuckoo, cuckoo! Well singest thou cuckoo, Nor cease thou never now! Sing cuckoo now, Sing cuckoo! |
| Pes Sing cuccu, Sing cuccu nu! |
Foot (or Bass) Sing cuckoo, Sing cuckoo now! |
Weather.com says sunny early, rain beginning mid-afternoon, high of 66; sounds like a good road and sidewalk rinse. Breezy too.
Blessings on your day,
john sj