The Manuscript: Harley 978, 11v

“Sumer Is Icumen In” is found only in Harley 978, a manuscript now kept in the British Library.⁵ Harley 978 is a miscellany containing a variety of material including the Lais of Marie de France and other poetry; historical texts including a genealogy of Thomas Becket; medical texts; a calendar; and more music.⁶ The dating of these various works gives 1261-5 as a probable date for the compilation of the manuscript, which is pieced together with distinctly different hands and layouts.⁷ “Sumer Is Icumen In” is close to the beginning of the manuscript, on 11v, amongst other random musical selections. It stands out as a secular vernacular piece, and is one of the stars of the collection (at the expense of the other valuable sources contained within Harley 978).⁸

Harley 978 is written in Gothic script on parchment with red and blue initials and rubrics, all of which can be seen on 11v.⁹ It measures 190 x 135 mm.¹⁰ The Middle English text is written in black, and there is also an alternative Latin text, “Perspice Christicola,” written to the same tune (a contrafactum) written in red ink.¹¹ Accompanying the music and lyrics is a detailed explanation of how to sing the piece, explaining that each voice of the round is to start when the preceding voice has reached the point of the cross marked in the music.