Sumer is Icumen Analysis

Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:Music

Document 1

The ancient manuscript that contained the writings of the song was preserved in safe custody at the period between 1261 and 1264 standing out as one of the oldest compositions ever well-kept-up. The composition featured the development of a six part polyphony asserting a lot of credence at that time on the quality of music. The composition is often at times referred to as the reading rota due to the existent of a manuscript written in mensural notation that was founded at Reading Abbey. The music is structured in the form of a rota that is typically known as a round which is representative of a given part song. 1 The performance of the round song takes a different form from the typical model of performance since it involves the setting up of a presentation in which one person’s begins singing before the other individual joins in at a certain point.

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The manuscript that contains the poem in the Harley 978 also consists of the medical texts, together with recipes and a glossary of herbs. The canon was sung traditionally at the Tower of Magdalen College Oxford every May Day. Sumer is Icumen represents a season in which people were faced with the challenges of surviving the winter period and being able to pull through the tough times associated with the difficult season. The season was often coupled with tough experiences in the medieval times that involved situations without enough food and challenging times that required the strong to survive. 4 The singing is defined as a celebration of the arrival of the summer after toiling and struggling during the tough winter period.  A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (AD 1450-1880) by Eminent Writers, English and Foreign.

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