The Hilliard Ensemble recorded both versions of this 13 th-century round on their 1985 Harmonia Mundi France CD called, not too surprisingly, Sumer is icumen in: chants médiévaux anglais. Performed here by the Hilliard Ensemble with its sacred words, instead of a welcome to summer, the round speaks of the Crucifixion of Jesus. It can be sung by four people, 2 on the bottom and two on the top but it can also be sung adding more people to the top line, just as “Row row” can. The upper melody is what we call a canon, or round, today, with each voice entering as the previous one gets to a certain point in the song, just like “Row row row your boat.” Underneath that a minimalist second melody is also sung as a round. I’m speaking, of course, of “Sumer is icumen in,” but also its Latin version Perspice Christicola, dating from the thirteenth century. MUSIC TRACK Sumer is icumen in chants médiévaux anglais Hilliard Ensemble Harmonia Mundi France, 1985/ B01ABBQ8A8 Anonymous mid-C13 T. It’s also the earliest example of a ground bass, that is, a lower line that repeats over and over and it’s the earliest known piece to appear in a manuscript with both secular old English and sacred Latin words set to its melodies. Probably the single most celebrated piece of English medieval music is also one of the earliest examples of music in what is now called the major mode. That was the famous round “Sumer is icumen in,” which we think of now as one of the Top Ten hits of the Middle Ages.” That version is from the Dufay Collective’s 1999 CD “Miri it is: Songs and Instrumental Music from Medieval England. MUSIC TRACK Miri it is: Songs and Instrumental Music from Medieval England The Dufay Collective Chandos (ASIN: B00118EWSQ) T.20: Sumer is icumen in (4:38) On this week’s program we’re going to hear medieval English, French, German and Italian equivalents of “Row row row your boat.” And you’ll be amazed at just how complicated the chase can actually be! Later, for our featured release, we’ll hear music of Machaut, from the Orlando Consort’s CD “Machaut: The Gentle Physician.” European music of the middle ages had loads of rounds, some very simple, others incredibly complex.
Just about everyone knows the song “Row row row your boat.” It has a very simple melody and words, and it’s fun to sing as a round, with voices starting the song every time the previous voice gets to a certain word.
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