Ecce gratum summer's breast: a wretched soul is he who does not live or lust under summer's rule. Ah! They glory and rejoice in honeyed sweetness who strive to make use of Cupid's prize; at Venus' command let us glory and rejoice in being Paris' equals. Ah!.</poem> Ecce gratum "Ecce gratum" (English: "Behold, the pleasant") is a medieval Latin Goliardic poem written early in the 13th century, part of the collection known as the "Carmina Burana". It was set to music in 1935/36 by German composer Carl Orff as part of his "Carmina Burana" which premiered at Frankfurt Opera on 8 June
Carmina Burana musical notation that by the time of the manuscript had largely been superseded by staffed neumes. Unheighted neumes only indicate whether a given note is pitched higher or lower than the preceding note, without giving any indication of how much change in pitch there is between two notes, so they are useful only as mnemonic devices for singers who are already familiar with the melody. However, it is possible to identify many of those melodies by comparing them with melodies notated in staffed neumes in other contemporary manuscripts from the schools of Notre Dame and Saint Martial. Between 1935 and