Singing, Dancing, & Scandal in the diocese

By the end of the twelfth century singing and dancing in churchyards had become a common practice. In his Gemma Ecclesiastica Giraldus Cambrensis tells the story of a parish priest in Worcestershire who had been kept awake all night by such singing and dancing, with the result that next day, when he began the early morning service, instead of singing the usual 'Dominus vobiscum', he startled his congregation by substituting the refrain which had been ringing in his ears, 'Swete lamman dhin are'. So great was the scandal caused by this incident that Bishop Northall pronounced an anathema upon any persno who should ever again sing that song within the limits of his diocese...

From Introduction. The Harley Lyrics: The middle English Lyrics of MS. Harley 2253. ed. G. L. Brook. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1964.

Check out The Luminarium to listen to some Middle English hits.