Ancient Art Listening Activities
This Smartsbox took you to the long-ago worlds of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and the Medieval period.
To hear music from the Medieval times (including works and instruments referenced in the magazine), follow our Spotify playlist. We recommend listening to this music while you complete your art projects!
Focus and Listen Time
You have two listening activities in this magazine. Use the videos and playlists below to listen along while you read!
Activity 1: Sumer Is Icumen In
Here is a recording of the Medieval song "Sumer Is Icumen In." Did you read the lyrics before listening? You may be surprised by how different Medieval English sounds from the way we speak it today.
Activity 2: Chants Around the World
This music playlist will play chants from different parts of the world. As you listen carefully and try to guess where the chants are from, do your best to avoid peeking at the song titles; some of them have clues that may give away the answer!
Heads up: there are two examples from each country.
After listening, you can check your answers by looking at the song titles or using this list below:
- Night Chant, Yeibichai Dance: Navajo chant
- Three Monks with Bowls & Cymbals: Tibetan chant
- Prière du nouvel an: Hebrew chant (Israel)
- Vedic Chanting One: Hindu chant (India)
- Jesi Tubchok: Tibetan chant
- Gayatri Mantri: Hindu chant (India)
- Healing Song: Navajo chant
- Proverbs: Hebrew chant (Israel)
Additional Listening Suggestions
- Learn more about (and listen to) Medieval instruments in this blog post.
- Listen to part of Hildegard's Ordo Virtutum. This video highlights the words in the original manuscript as they're being sung!
- Refresh your memory of solfège, invented by Guido D'Arezzo, by watching this Sound of Music classic!