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| Reading Abbey (Sumer Is Icumen In); Fantastic Reading old history! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 13 Mar 2012, 07:46 PM (5,102 Views) | |
| daib0 | 13 Mar 2012, 07:46 PM Post #1 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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I’ve re-edited this article from Wiki and other links, because many of you don’t probably realize it but this is surely the OLDEST piece of ‘sheet music’ that exists in the British Isles – and it comes from Reading Abbey! You guys know that although music is my profession it can't be said I ram it down your throats! I’d like to dedicate the whole thread to OWLISH52 as a sign of appreciation for his contribution, and hoping it will spur him on to a visit to the town (maybe soon city?!) … "Sumer Is Icumen In" is a traditional English medieval round, and possibly the oldest such example of counterpoint in existence. The title might be translated as "Summer has come in" or "Summer has arrived". The round is sometimes known as the Reading rota because the manuscript comes from Reading Abbey though it may not have been written there. It is the oldest piece of six-part polyphonic music. Its composer is anonymous, possibly W. de Wycombe, and it is estimated to date from around 1260. The manuscript is now at the British Library. The language is Middle English, more exactly Wessex dialect. The original manuscript, written in 1225 AD, is written in mensural notation, a precursor to modern musical notation: To sing as a round, one singer would begin at the beginning, and a second would start at the beginning as the first got to the point marked with the red cross. The length between the start and the cross corresponds to the modern notion of a bar, and the main verse comprises six phrases spread over twelve such bars. In addition, there are two lines marked "Pes", two bars each, that are meant to be sung together repeatedly underneath the main verse. These instructions are included (in Latin) in the manuscript itself. ![]() The same music in a somewhat more readable in modern notation: ![]() Words in modern English – Modern English Summer has arrived, Loudly sing, Cuckoo! The seed grows and the meadow blooms And the wood springs anew, Sing, Cuckoo! The ewe bleats after the lamb The cow lows after the calf. The bullock stirs, the stag farts, Merrily sing, Cuckoo! Cuckoo, cuckoo, well you sing, cuckoo; Don't ever you stop now, Sing cuckoo now. Sing, Cuckoo. Sing Cuckoo. Sing cuckoo now! Before you get a moderator onto me: "the stag farts", a gesture of virility indicating the stag's potential for creating new life, echoing the rebirth of Nature from the barren period of winter … Present Day fame – The song was used to great and memorable effect at the climax of the 1973 film The Wicker Man. It was sung in the 1982 animated film The Flight of Dragons by the knight Sir Orin Neville-Smythe to drown out the sound of the sand merks. It was also recited in Woody Allen's 1982 film A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy by the character Leopold. The song was used in the 1993 film Shadowlands, the story of the romance between C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman. In that film, a choir of men and boys greets the sun at dawn on May Day with the song. In the soundtrack recording released on Angel, the choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, was featured. The song was also used in the 1991 television movie Sarah, Plain and Tall, based on the children's book of the same name by Patricia MacLachlan. Sarah, played by Glenn Close, sings the song. The round sung by the mice in the 1974 British Children's TV Show Bagpuss, starting with the words "We will fix it...", is to the tune of "Sumer is icumin in". The song also featured in several episodes of The Adventures of Robin Hood, the 1950s television series starring Richard Greene. |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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| Hayes | 28 Feb 2013, 08:46 PM Post #11 |
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Beckham married one |
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/www.readingfc.co.uk/?ref=bookmarks | |
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| daib0 | 21 Jun 2013, 12:58 PM Post #12 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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Latest: Reading Museum Abbey Quarter Reading Borough Council is developing an exciting plan to transform Reading's Abbey precinct into a unique historical and cultural destination. The Abbey Quarter plans will pull together a number of important historic sites, buildings and structures, under a single, co-ordinated approach. The project includes improved signage and better interpretation across the whole area as well as the conservation of key historic features including the Abbey Ruins, Abbey Gateway and St Laurence’s churchyard wall. The project will include training and apprenticeship opportunities, community events and activities. We are exploring funding with the Heritage Lottery Fund. The main priorities are the conservation of the Abbey Ruins and the Abbey Gateway, both Scheduled Monuments and on the English Heritage ‘Heritage at Risk Register’. Separate funding has been secured to improve Town Hall Square and restore St Laurence's churchyard wall and both these schemes will take place in 2013. The project to conserve the Abbey was initiated after public access to the ruins was closed in summer 2009 after a condition survey highlighted the ‘poor and rapidly deteriorating condition of the walls’. Survey work has recently been carried out by specialist building surveyors taking high-tech images of the ruins. Following a study of these 3D scans, architects have created a detailed picture map of each area to help identify the extent of the conservation required. They are also reviewing the work required on other areas including the Abbey Gateway. See lots of photos and other links here: http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/get-involved/projects-consultation/abbey-quarter |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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| daib0 | 3 Mar 2014, 10:01 AM Post #13 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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BBC - Berkshire Reading Council lodges new Abbey Quarter funding bid A fresh bid for funding to conserve Reading's Abbey Quarter has been submitted, the borough council said. It said £3.1m is needed to protect the abbey ruins and the Abbey Gate, and for improvements such as pedestrian signage in the Abbey Quarter area. The bid seeks a Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF) grant of £1.73m, with the council providing up to £1.36m in match funding. A decision is expected in June. Two previous bids have been unsuccessful. Buildings in the quarter include the 12th Century abbey, founded by Henry I, Jane Austen's school and Reading Gaol which was made famous by Oscar Wilde. The abbey was founded by Henry I in 1121, and the king was buried there. The Abbey Quarter Project was launched after public access to the ruins was closed in summer 2009. A condition survey at the time highlighted the "poor and rapidly deteriorating condition of the walls." Paul Gittings, lead member for culture, said the council "had a duty" to ensure the "site of such historical significance" was conserved for future generations. Reading Museum said the main conservation priorities would be the Abbey Ruins and the Abbey Gateway, both Scheduled Monuments on English Heritage's Heritage At Risk register. Separate funding has already improved Town Hall Square last year and has been secured to restore St Laurence's churchyard wall during 2014-15. |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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| daib0 | 15 Dec 2015, 02:55 PM Post #14 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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Get Reading Reading Abbey to re-open after £1.77m Heritage Lottery win Reading Council has plan in place to re-open Abbey in 2018 Article Starts: Reading Abbey ruins will be re-opened to the public after the council won a £1.77 million bid for Heritage Lottery Fund support. The Reading Abbey Revealed programme will see events and educational activities breathe new life into one of Reading's historic gems, and sits alongside an extensive programme of conservation works to the Abbey Ruins and the Abbey Gateway. Site-wide interpretation of the Abbey Quarter will include a new display at Reading Museum. Project work will now start in March next year, with teams on site in September before the Abbey is fully open in the summer of 2018. Full story: http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-abbey-re-open-after-10601121 |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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| daib0 | 7 Jan 2016, 12:45 PM Post #15 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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TWITTER - ReadingAbbeyQuarter @RdgAbbey Get news here about the exciting plans to transform Reading's Abbey precinct into a unique historical and cultural destination and restore the Abbey Ruins. |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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| daib0 | 3 Apr 2016, 12:46 PM Post #16 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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BBC News Reading Abbey radar investigations first probe 'in 150 years' Ground penetrating radar is to be used to uncover the secrets of a 900-year-old abbey, where King Henry I and his Queen Adeliza were buried It will be the first comprehensive archaeological investigation at Reading Abbey for more than 150 years. The Hidden Abbey Project aims to discover the significance of the site, founded by Henry in 1121. The scheme will run alongside an ongoing conservation project that will see the abbey reopened to the public. The first phase of the investigations will focus on the abbey church, land around St James' Church, Forbury Gardens and Reading Gaol car park. The area will also be surveyed to locate possible sites for future investigation, including the high altar where the king was buried. Reading mayor Sarah Hacker, who is on the project steering group, said: "We hope to show the lavish scale of what in the Middle Ages was one of the major Benedictine Abbeys in western Europe, and a regular place for royal visits and events." Reading Abbey closed in the summer of 2009 after a survey highlighted the "poor and rapidly deteriorating condition of the walls". Heritage Lottery Fund money is supporting Reading Borough Council's Reading Abbey Revealed conservation and education project. Buildings in the quarter include Jane Austen's former school and Reading Gaol, where Oscar Wilde was incarcerated. |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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| daib0 | 3 Apr 2016, 12:50 PM Post #17 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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Previous article which I missed ... BBC News A search for bones of Henry I is planned in Reading A search for the bones of King Henry I is being planned in Reading The project is backed by Philippa Langley, who helped find the remains of Richard III in Leicester. She believes Henry I's bones are buried near the ruins of Reading Abbey and is interested in the search "because he is our forgotten king". English Heritage has pledged its support to carry out ground penetrating radar (GPR) research of the abbey area, which aims to be carried out this year. The plans are part of a wider project called Hidden Abbey to uncover the remains of Reading Abbey, which was founded by Henry I in 1121 and where he was buried. He was the son of William the Conqueror, which has led to Henry I's reputation as a forgotten king overshadowed by his father's glory. There is speculation about where his remains ended up after grave robbers raided the area for the silver coffin the king had reportedly been buried in. But project co-founder and historian John Mullaney said: "We know he's there in some form or another because if people did discover these bones... they would have been left there." The abbey was largely destroyed in 1538 during the dissolution of the monasteries, but many of the walls of the abbey still stand. Dr Andrew Brown from English Heritage said the abbey ruins and its buried remains was considered "to be of national importance". Ms Langley, who helped set up the Hidden Abbey Project, said: "There is the most incredible pristine abbey beneath the ground. What I want to do is bring history alive in Reading." She added a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey would be carried out first to map the area, with the possibility of trial trenching also taking place. |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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| daib0 | 3 Apr 2016, 12:52 PM Post #18 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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where we're talikng about ...![]() |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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| daib0 | 19 Aug 2016, 08:58 AM Post #19 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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The Gate at Reading Abbey by Paul Sandby (1731-1809) ![]() |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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| daib0 | 20 Feb 2017, 07:29 PM Post #20 |
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Inter-Forum Gamemaster!
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in 1861 the Abbey Gateway collapsed in a gale! ![]() |
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Royals Rendezvous - a specialist and friendly Reading FC fan forum Cello man... VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVmGOEMJLE&t=12s Please share ! | |
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2:26 PM Jul 11