the successive voices, each in turn
commencing at the beginning when the previous one has arrived, at this
point. Below is the _pes_, or burden, which is to be repeated over and
over until the piece is finished. The complete solution is reproduced
in miniature from Grove's Dictionary, on pages 102 and 103. The
elaborateness of this piece of music led the original discoverers to
place it much later than the date above given, but more careful
examination of the manuscript justifies the conclusion that it was
written some time before 1240. It is by far the most elaborate piece
of ancient part music which has come down to us from times so remote.
It indicates conclusively that early in the thirteenth century, when
the composers of the old French school were struggling with the
beginnings of canonic imitation, confining their work to
ecclesiastical tonality, English musicians had arrived at a better art
and a true feeling for the major scale and key. Following is the
manuscript, the original size of the page being seven and
seven-twelfths inches by five and five-twelfths inches. The reduced
page before the reader represents the original upon a scale of about
two-thirds. The Latin directions below the fourth staff indicate the
manner of singing it.

[Illustration: FAC SIMILE OF MSS. OF "SUMER IS ICUMEN IN."]

[Music illustration: "SUMER IS ICUMEN IN."

Sum-er is i-cu-men in, Lhud-e sing cuc-cu.
Grow-eth sed and blow-eth med and springth the wod-e nu.
Sing cuc-cu.
Awe blet-eth af-ter lomb, lhouth af-ter calv-e cu.
Bul-luc stert-eth, buck-e vert-eth, mu-rie sing cuc-cu.
Cuc-cu, cuc-cu.[3]
Wel sing-es thu cuc-cu, ne swik thu nau-er nu.
Sum-er is i-cum-en in, Lhud-e sing cuc-cu.
Grow-eth sed and blow-eth med, and springth the wod-e nu.
Sing cuc-cu.[4]

Per-spi-ce X[=p]-i-co-la[5] que dig-na-ci-o.
Ce-li-cus a-gri-co-la Pro vi-tis vi-ci-o.
Fi-li-o,
Non par-cens ex-pos-u-it, Mor-tis ex-i-ci-o,
Qui cap-ti-vos se-mi-vi-vos A sup-pli-ci-o.
Vi-ta do-nat, et se-cum co-ro-nat in ce-li so-li-o.
Per-spi-ce X[=p]-i-co-la que dig-na-ci-o.
Ce-li-cus a-gri-co-la Pro vi-tis vi-ci-o.
Fi-li-o.]

[Footnote 3: Burner and Hawkins have both mistaken this note
(Transcriber's Note: referring to an A) for G. It is quite certainly A
in the original MS. In the four bars which follow, the words and music
are incorrectly fitted together in all previous