Wulfstan the Cantor

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Wulfstan the Cantor was a monk, poet, musician and scribe who flourished in Winchester at the turn of the first millennium.

As a boy, he was present at the elevation of St. Swithun (who had died in 862) on 15 July 971. His description of this event, in his Life of St Swithun (Narratio metrica de S. Swithuno), in which he reports a long period of rain, possibly led to the legend that rain on St Swithun's day would lead to a period of 40 days' continuous rain (but see other entries under St Swithun.)

About 1000 he probably contributed to the music in the Winchester troper both as scribe and composer. At about this time he also produced his Life of St Æthelwold (Vita S. Æthelwoldi)