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01 Mar 16 - 01:29 PM (#3776091) Subject: Origins: Sumer is icumen - doctored by scribe? From: Stower I've very kindly been asked to post this on 'The Trees They Do Grow High' thread, so ... The music of the 13th century English song, 'Sumer is icumen in', one of the earliest surviving songs in English, was doctored by the scribe, thus erasing the most joyful part of the melody, argues a new article. The motivation lay in the devotional song it was paired with, 'Perspice Christicola'. The article includes videos of both songs ('Sumer' in a folk club, with the audience singing the ground bass), supporting evidence from the manuscript, and a reconstruction and analysis of the original 'Sumer' melody. |
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01 Mar 16 - 02:00 PM (#3776101) Subject: RE: Origins: Sumer is icumen - doctored by scribe? From: Helen Hi Stower, I'll read the article when I get home from work this afternoon. When I was at school we learned this song in music class. I have always loved it and it was probably my motivation to later study Middle English and Old English at university - many decades ago, so the memory of the language is a bit rusty. Helen |
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01 Mar 16 - 06:13 PM (#3776129) Subject: RE: Origins: Sumer is icumen - doctored by scribe? From: GUEST,DrWord Hey Stower (and Helen) ~ I did the OE and ME stuff at uni as well. Thanks for the post; it was a fascinating article. The mss images make me want to attempt to copy the calligraphy, illumination, and that lovely mediæval music notation ~ but pens & inks still buried since a recent move :) keep on pickin' dennis |
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01 Mar 16 - 06:16 PM (#3776130) Subject: RE: Origins: Sumer is icumen - doctored by scribe? From: GUEST,leeneia I made my way through that article, and I think the few notes that the scribe altered do not make much difference. When musicians have to repeat something, (in this case "cuccu, cuccu")they often want to change it a little. It's interesting that the same melody was used for a sacred song and a secular song, but for me it's remarkable that someone put secular words in manuscript form. I enjoyed both linked performances. |
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02 Mar 16 - 09:05 AM (#3776246) Subject: RE: Origins: Sumer is icumen - doctored by scribe? From: EBarnacle For another, later, example of the transactional process in textual evolution, I recommend Shapiro's books on Shakespeare. The most recent, The Year of Lear, 1606 has led me to read all of his publications. They show the process quite clearly, both in text and causation. |
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02 Mar 16 - 09:31 AM (#3776252) Subject: RE: Origins: Sumer is icumen - doctored by scribe? From: Stower Thank you for your lovely comments. leeneia, it's a matter of perception, but for me the altering of the onomatopoeic music with the "cuccu" words so that that the music is no longer onomatopoeic and therefore no longer mirrors the previous "cuccu" phrase is fundamental to the musical meaning of the song (I explain more about why in the article). Secular words in a manuscript isn't so surprising: there was a lot of medieval two-way traffic, secularising religious songs and Christianising secular songs. |
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02 Mar 16 - 12:35 PM (#3776284) Subject: RE: Origins: Sumer is icumen - doctored by scribe? From: GUEST,leeneia Okay. |