Midsummer Gladness - Sumer is Icumen In

Arise, O Sun

Gather ye druids to the ancient sight of Stonehenge. Chant thee 'Arise, O sun' as you witness the returning arc of the sun this midsummer (weather permitting).

If I could make a request? Could you also swing your arms to a stirring rendition of Sumer is Icumen In as the sun appears on the horizon? I want it sung in the original middle English with a Wessex dialect (as The Hilliard Ensemble do below), but with the dance movements you see at the end of The Wicker Man (as shown in the picture above).



What a wonderful sound from The Hilliard Ensemble, sadly disbanded. Music scholars believe Sumer is Icumen In, a medieval English round dating 1290, is the oldest example of counterpoint in existence.

The Hilliard Ensemble recorded the song for Sumer Is Icumen In — Chant Médiévaux Anglais, a CD first released by France's excellent Harmonia Mundi label on their Music d' Abord imprint in 1986.

The CD contains tracks of English song from the 13th and 14th centuries expressed through the Hilliard's unaccompanied vocals, offering an enchanting and often sublime listening experience.