Episode 101: The Birth of English Song

Advances in musical notation allowed the first English folk songs to be preserved in writing in the early 1200s. These songs include “Mirie It Is While Sumer Ilast” and “Sumer Is Icumen In.” In this episode, we explore the Greek contribution to music, and trace those developments to Medieval England and the earliest songs composed in the English language.

TRANSCRIPTS: EPISODE 101 (historyofenglishpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads…)