Sumer is icumen in 3-Part - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1602467

This arrangement of Sumer Is Icumen In is designed to be flexible - suitable for treble voices, lower voices, or a mixed ensemble. It works equally well with or without the optional piano accompaniment, and the optional percussion part can be played freely, with any instrumentation at the discretion of the performers. Choirs may choose to sing in either Middle English or Modern English.

Dating back over 800 years to the 13th century, Sumer Is Icumen In is one of the oldest known English songs and the earliest surviving example of six-part polyphony. Preserved in a beautifully detailed manuscript (likely from Oxford, c. 1260), the piece is structured as a rota (round). It welcomes the arrival of spring with vivid imagery of singing cuckoos, blooming meadows, and enthusiastic farm animals, including the first recorded use of the word "fart" in English literature.

This arrangement honours the original round while introducing fresh rhythmic and harmonic interplay. Some sections closely mirror the historical version, with the round re-entering every two bars, while others recycle voices on the half-bar, creating a more modern texture.

Though it may appear complex at first glance, it follows a simple principle: if singers first learn the melody in unison (bars 14–37), they will have effectively learned nearly all the material. The main challenge lies in coordinating individual voice entries and maintaining ensemble cohesion. Since the opening draws on later material, I recommend learning bars 14–37 first, followed by 37–54 and 55–84, before tackling bars 1–12.

Sumer Is Icumen In remains a joyful, energetic, and timeless piece—one that continues to captivate performers and audiences alike.