One little quibble about Godric; only three (not four) of his songs
survive with music, but they are, indeed, the oldest pieces in the
English language to survive as such.
One leading musicologist has noticed some striking similarities
between the melody of one of the songs, and those found in
traditional Northumbrian folk music. This suggests either that Godric
was familiar with such music and borrowed it for his poems (so much
for being sung to him by angels!), or that these pieces became
popular enough to find their way into a larger genre and became used.
I find the former theory more likely, given that we're not even sure
for what these pieces were intended, or if anyone outside the
monastic community even saw them. Folk melodies can endure relatively
unchanged for an astonishing length of time.
A bit off-topic, I know, but I'm as passionate about medieval music
as I am other subjects more appropriate to the list!
Tim Rayborn
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