“SUMER IS ICUMEN IN” ANONYMOUS (ca.
1250) A traditional English rota (round), this secu-
lar lyric is sometimes considered the earliest example
of a canon (a six-part musical composition). It is rather
short, consisting of a celebration of summer, with a
repeated directive to the cuckoo to sing. A few ani-
mals—cows and ewes—are keeping watch over their
offspring. The cuckoo is enjoined to sing again.
The poem is found in one manuscript: London, Brit-
ish Library, MS Harley 978, which can be traced to
Reading Abbey. The lyric appears on the page along-
side an alternate Latin text, which is a lyric on the Pas-
sion of Christ. Thus, many of the critical discussions
surrounding this lyric involve identifi cation of its
genre, particularly in context with its companion piece.
Some scholars connect this lyric with the REVERDIE tra-
dition, citing the images of birth and growth. Others
suggest it is a contrafactum (parody), in which secular
words were adapted to sacred verse.
More recently, scholars have begun looking at other
aspects of the lyric, including its treatment of adultery.
The cuckoo was a common symbol for adultery—
called cuckoldry in the Middle Ages—based on the
cuckoo’s practice of stealing other birds’ nests.
FURTHER READING
Fischer, A. “ ‘Sumer is icumen in’: The Seasons of the Year
in Middle English and Early Modern English.” Topics in
English Linguistics 13 (1994): 79–96.
Obst, W. “ ‘Svmer is icumen in’: A Contrafactum?’ Music and
Letters 64 (1983): 151–161.
Roscow, G. H. “What Is ‘Sumer is Icumen in?’ ” Review of
English Studies 50, no. 198 (1999): 188–196.
“SUNSET ON CALVARY” See “NOW GOTH
SONNE UNDER WOD.”
SURREY, HENRY HOWARD, EARL OF
(ca. 1517–1547) Henry Howard was the eldest son
of Thomas Howard, earl of Surrey, who became the
third duke of Norfolk in 1524, and Elizabeth Stafford,
daughter of Edward Stafford, duke of Buckingham. No
birth record or christening record exists, but Henry
Howard seems to have been born early in 1517. When
his father was elevated to the dukedom, Henry received
the courtesy title of earl of Surrey. His father was a
leader of the conservative nobles who opposed HENRY
VIII’s Reformation. The Howards as a family had ear-
lier resisted the Tudor claims to the English throne.
Nevertheless, in 1530 Surrey and Henry Fitzroy, duke
of Richmond and illegitimate son of Henry VIII,
became close friends. They traveled with the king to
France in 1532 and spent a year in the court of King
Francis I. That same year, Surrey married Lady Frances
Vere, the daughter of the earl of Oxford. During this
period, Surrey was exposed to Italian humanism.
These carefree days were soon to end. In 1535 Sur-
rey was back in England to witness his father preside
over the trial of Anne Boleyn, his cousin, and Henry
VIII’s second queen. The following year, 1536, saw the
death of Surrey’s good friend Henry Fitzroy and the
rise of Edward Seymour, brother of Henry VIII’s new
queen, Jane Seymour. The two men became instant
enemies, and Surrey was jailed in 1537 for assaulting
Seymour at Hampton Court.
When Surrey’s cousin, Catherine Howard, became
Henry VIII’s fi fth wife, he was made a knight of the
Garter. He was also jailed twice more for public vio-
lence but was released in spring 1543 to fi ght on the
continent against France. For Surrey’s excellent mili-
tary service, Henry VIII named him marshal of the fi eld
in 1543 at age 27, and in 1545 he was named lieuten-
ant general of the king on sea and land. These honors
were short-lived, however. The great success that Sur-
rey achieved at such a young age led to Seymour and
many of the new Tudor men becoming jealous, and
Seymour plotted his revenge. Surrey was demoted and
recalled to England in March 1546 after his outnum-
bered, insuffi ciently funded, and poorly supplied
troops were routed at Boulogne in January that year.
In December 1546, Surrey was jailed in the TOWER
OF LONDON for treason. He was brought up on trumped-
up charges, one of which was including the royal coat
of arms of King Edward the Confessor in the fi rst quar-
ter of his shield. Edward the Confessor was the only
Catholic saint not defi led by Henry VIII and his adviser
Thomas Cromwell. Thus, this was both a political and
religious matter. Seymour claimed that Surrey did not
have the right to the royal arms. Surrey did; however,
he did not fi rst receive Henry VIII’s permission, which
was required for the change. Being a commoner and428 “SUMER IS ICUMEN IN”