John of Fornsete

John of Fornsete was a monk of Reading Abbey in England, who died around 1238–1239. Since the mid-nineteenth century, his name has been linked to the so-called Reading canon, the piece known as Sumer is icumen in, and for a long time he was credited with a significant role in it.

According to those theories, he would have been the scribe of the manuscript that preserves the work (GB-Lbl Harley 978), the direct influence on its present form, and the person responsible for its Latin and English texts and its music. There is, however, no evidence to support these hypotheses.

Despite this, Fornsete's unfounded reputation persisted in musical literature during the first half of the twentieth century. Today, as far as music is concerned, he must be regarded as a figure of no significance.