Sumer Is Icumen In facts for kids

This old page from the British Library shows the music for "Sumer Is Icumen In".

Sumer Is Icumen In is a very old English song. It is special because it can be sung as a round. This means different singers start the same tune at different times, and it all fits together. It is the oldest known example of a round that we still have today!

We don't know who wrote the song. A monk wrote it down around the middle of the 13th century. That's over 750 years ago! We are not sure if the monk created the song or if it was already an old tune.

The song's title means "Summer has arrived." It can be sung by six different groups or voices at once. There are also two extra parts that repeat over and over. This repeating part is called an ostinato. The words are in Middle English, which was spoken in England a long time ago. It's like an older version of the English we speak today.

How to Sing a Round

A round is a fun way to sing a song. Imagine you have a group of friends.

• One singer or group starts the song from the beginning.
• When the first group reaches a certain point (like a red cross on the music sheet), the second group starts from the beginning.
• Then, when the second group reaches that same point, the third group joins in.

This continues until all six parts are singing. Everyone sings the same tune, but they are at different places in the song. It creates a cool layered sound! The repeating part in "Sumer Is Icumen In" is called "Pes," which means "foot" in Latin.

Words of the Song

The words of "Sumer Is Icumen In" are about nature and animals in summer. They are written in Middle English, but here is what they mean in modern English.

Images for kids

• 

  The first line of the original handwritten music.

• 

  The song written in modern music notes.