Abide, O Dearest Jesus in Tonic Solfa
Abide, O Dearest Jesus in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 6 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (E♭)
- Range
- t, to d' (D to E♭, a ninth)
- Tune
- CHRISTUS DER IST MEIN LEBEN
- Words
- Joshua Stegmann, August Crull
- Music
- Melchior Vulpius
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune CHRISTUS DER IST MEIN LEBEN by Melchior Vulpius (1560–1615); words by Joshua Stegmann (1588–1632); translated by August Crull (1845–1923). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dA-- | mbide,-rO-mdear--fest- | sJe----msus,-lA-- |
| smong--fusmwith-rThy- | mgrace,---__sThat- |
| lSa--ltan-tmay-d'not- | lharm---sus,-mNor- |
| rwe-dto-dsin-t,give- | dplace.----- |
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 Eb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Eb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Abide, O dearest Jesus,
Among us with Thy grace,
That Satan may not harm us,
Nor we to sin give place.
Abide, O dear Redeemer,
Among us with Thy Word,
And thus now and hereafter
True peace and joy afford.
Abide with heav'nly brightness
Among us, precious Light;
Thy truth direct, and keep us
From error's gloomy night.
Abide with richest blessings
Among us, bounteous Lord;
Let us in grace and wisdom
Grow daily through Thy Word.
Abide with Thy protection
Among us, Lord, our Strength,
Lest world and Satan fell us
And overcome at length.
Abide, O faithful Savior, Among us with Thy love;
Grant steadfastness, and help us To reach our home above.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Eb 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 d (E♭), on the first syllable of “Abide”, 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 Joshua Stegmann, first published in 1628. The English translation is by August Crull (1892). The tune, CHRISTUS DER IST MEIN LEBEN, is by Melchior Vulpius (1609). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1628): Joshua Stegmann (1588–1632)
- Translated (1892): August Crull (1845–1923)
- Music (1609): Melchior Vulpius (1560–1615)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune CHRISTUS DER IST MEIN LEBEN by Melchior Vulpius (1560–1615); words by Joshua Stegmann (1588–1632); translated by August Crull (1845–1923). 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.
Questions about Abide, O Dearest Jesus
What is the doh of Abide, O Dearest Jesus?
In this version, in Eb major, doh is Eb. 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 Abide, O Dearest Jesus start on?
It starts on d (E♭ in Eb major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Abide” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Abide, O Dearest Jesus in the public domain?
Yes. Joshua Stegmann died in 1632, August Crull died in 1923, Melchior Vulpius died in 1615; the words were first published in 1892 and the music in 1609. 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.