Sound in the landscape, a study of the historical literature. Part 2: the medieval period — the eleventh to fifteenth century (and beyond)

ABSTRACT

Following on from an earlier essay exploring the role of sound in the landscape in the early medieval period (Hooke with Bintley 2019), this essay, although not attempting to offer a comprehensive review, continues the exploration of literary references to such sound, again conveying impressions from a period for which no actual recordings can survive. Some of the material offered here, such as the Irish literature, is of possibly much earlier origin but only survives in later manuscripts. Much of the literature of the Middle Ages is more concerned with the activities of the aristocracy, such as tournaments and hunting, and conveys much less of the everyday world of the farmer and peasant.

Keywords:

• Countryside sounds
• literature
• folk legend
• battles
• gatherings
• courtly music
• hunting
• church bells and music
• church carvings
• country pursuits
• birdsong