A Pilgrim and a Stranger in Tonic Solfa
A Pilgrim and a Stranger in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- C major
- Doh
- C
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (E)
- Range
- r to r' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- PASSION CHORALE
- Words
- Paul Gerhardt, Jane Laurie Borthwick
- Music
- Hans Leo Hassler
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune PASSION CHORALE by Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612); words by Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676); translated by Jane Laurie Borthwick (1813–1897). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| mA- | lPil--sgrim-fand-ma- | rstran----mger,-tI- |
| d'jour--d'ney-therel_tbe-- | llow;-----mFar- |
| ldis--stant-fis-mmy- | rcoun----mtry-tThe- |
| d'home-d'to-twhichl_tI- | lgo.-----d'Here- |
| tIl_smust-ltoil-tand- | d'tra----d'vel,-sOft- |
| lwea--sry-fand-fop-- | mprest,-----d'But- |
| tthered'_r'my-d'God-tshall- | llead---tme-mTo- |
| fe--mver--rlas--sting- | mrest.----- |
The solfa line by line
The same solfa as plain text, a line of the hymn at a time, with the words of the first verse under it — easy to copy into your own notes or a WhatsApp message to the choir.
Doh is C · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
A Pilgrim and a stranger,
I journey here below;
Far distant is my country
The home to which I go.
Here I must toil and travel,
Oft weary and opprest,
But there my God shall lead me
To everlasting rest.
I've met with storm and danger,
E'en from my early years,
With enemies and conflicts,
With fightings and with fears.
There's nothing here that tempts me
To wish a longer stay,
So I must hasten forwards,
No halting or delay.
It is a well worn pathway,
Many have gone before:
The holy saints and prophets,
The patriarchs of yore.
They trod the toilsome journey
In patience and in faith;
And them I fain would follow,
Like them in life and death!
Who would share Abr'm's blessing,
Must Abr'm's path pursue,
A stranger and a pilgrim,
Like him, must journey through.
The foes must be encountered,
The dangers must be passed;
Only a faithful soldier
Receives the crown at last.
So I must hasten forwards
Thank God, the end will come!
This land of my sojourning
Is not my destined home.
That ever more abideth,
Jerusalem above,
The everlasting city,
The land of light and love.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum C and sing d r m f s up from it, so the whole choir has the key in their ears before you start.
- Pitch the first note. The tune starts on m (E), on the word “A”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 4/4 means four crotchet beats in each bar. In the grid every cell is half a crotchet: a dash (–) holds the note before it, and _ is a rest.
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s l t. A comma after a note (s,) is the octave below; an apostrophe (d') is the octave above.
New to solfa? Read how to read Tonic Solfa and how to find the doh of a song.
About the hymn
The words are by Paul Gerhardt, first published in 1666. The English translation is by Jane Laurie Borthwick (1858). The tune, PASSION CHORALE, is by Hans Leo Hassler (1601). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1666): Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676)
- Translated (1858): Jane Laurie Borthwick (1813–1897)
- Music (1601): Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune PASSION CHORALE by Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612); words by Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676); translated by Jane Laurie Borthwick (1813–1897). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Sung to the same tune: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.
Questions about A Pilgrim and a Stranger
What is the doh of A Pilgrim and a Stranger?
In this version, in C major, doh is C. If your choir sings it in another key, doh moves to the new key note and every solfa syllable stays the same — that is what movable doh means.
What note does A Pilgrim and a Stranger start on?
It starts on m (E in C major), a pickup on the word “A” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is A Pilgrim and a Stranger in the public domain?
Yes. Paul Gerhardt died in 1676, Jane Laurie Borthwick died in 1897, Hans Leo Hassler died in 1612; the words were first published in 1858 and the music in 1601. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.