| This was the first recorded song in the English language in about 1260 and 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. | ||||||
| Sumer 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! |
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| 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, though after calf the cow, Bullock starteth, buck farteth, Merry sing cuckoo! Cuckoo, cuckoo! Well singest thou cuckoo, Nor cease thou never now! Sing cuckoo now, Sing cuckoo! |
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| Pes Sing cuccu, Sing cuccu nu! |
Foot (or Bass) Sing cuckoo, Sing cuckoo now! | |||||
when the eyes glaze over
followed by puzzlement
incomprehension
disinterest
eye rolling
sometimes i feel
i may as well be speaking
in middle english
Midweek Motif - Poets United
Exactly!
ReplyDeleteWe were warned but probably at no time in the last few thousand years have humans been so cuckoo in their behavior. We think we are so clever but we really we are plain stupid (sorry you are right...Cuckoo!).
ReplyDeleteThis is so exciting: the video and your poem, the perfect post
ReplyDeletemuch love...
oh yes.. those middle english moments.. resonates much!
ReplyDeleteSigh...I know the feeling.
ReplyDeleteLovely! The song, the teaching, and then the application with its surprise twist. I feel totally happy after this. Sharing!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this. Very interesting about the first recorded song.
ReplyDeleteNice. Thank you for this. I will do as the song commands - sing cuckoo.
ReplyDeleteOh my. Thank you for the history lesson!
ReplyDeleteI love this entire post. I read the introduction, struggled through the first version of the song, breathed through the second, and then finished with the huge, "Yes, I know! I've been there." feeling your poem inspires. Perfect set up.
ReplyDeleteNow we're all singing "Cuckoo"! My mother had a cuckoo clock she loved. I hadn't thought of that clock in years. Thank yoU!
ReplyDeleteLoved the history lesson!
ReplyDelete