Page:A guide to the manuscripts and printed books illustrating the progress of musical notation - British Museum - 1885.djvu/16

 65. : about A.D. 1240. Miscellaneous tracts in Latin and French, including poems of Walter Map and lays of Marie de France, and (here exhibited) an English Round or Catch, the earliest English part-song known, for four voices, with a burden and directions for singing: "Sumer is icumen in,  Lhude sing cuccu; Groweth sed, and bloweth med,   And springth the wde nu;            Sing cuccu.

"Awe bleteth after lomb,  Lhouth after calve cu, Bulluc sterteth, bucke verteth;   Murie sing cuccu.             Cuccu, cuccu.       Well singes thu, cuccu,       Ne swik thu naver nu.             Sing cuccu nu, sing cuccu,             Sing cuccu, sing cuccu nu."

A Latin hymn is set to the same music. Belonged to Reading Abbey. [Harl. MS. 978.]

66. : 13th century. Hymns in Latin; four-and five-line staves. Exhibited is the hymn, "Angelus ad Virginem" (with an English version), mentioned in Chaucer's Miller's Tale, as sung by the Oxford clerk "hendy Nicholas." [Arund. MS. 248.]

67. : early 14th century. Hymns to the Virgin, in Latin; five-line stave. [Add. MS. 25,031.]

68. : 14th century. Music for five-voices, and a hymn in Latin; five-line stave, with letters, perhaps for lute accompaniment. Belonged to Robertsbridge Abbey, co. Sussex. [Add. MS. 28,550.]

TABLE-CASE C.

COMPOSITIONS OF THE 16 th AND I7 th CENTURIES.

69. : early 16th century. Part-songs, by English composers. The song exhibited is: "The beste song as hit semeth me, Peccantem me cotidie." [Add. MS. 5665.]

70. : early 16th century. Part-songs, by English