~ "Drømte mig": The oldest Scandinavian piece of music ~
This melody is the oldest preserved piece of music known in Denmark. The text reads:
"Drømde mik en drøm i nat um silki ok ærlik pæl..." Drømde mik MP3 (sung, 0,2 MB)
"I dreamt me a dream last night of silk and noble fur..." Drømde mik WAV (instrumental, 0,8 MB)
These are arguably the first two lines of a ballad or folksong. It was found on the last leaf of the 13th cent. Codex runicus, written in the same hand as the text on the preceding eight leaves, but otherwise with no obvious connection to it.
Written in runes and using the early medieval form
of music notation, it is believed to be older than the manuscript itself. The little sign on the top left marks the c` note. The
tune is known to every Dane, having been used as the interval signal on Danmarks
Radio for over half a century.
b/w "Dromte mig" score from Wikipedia, public domain.