Across the Sky the Shades of Night in Tonic Solfa
Across the Sky the Shades of Night in Tonic Solfa to ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER, doh is Eb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sA- | scross-sthe-ssky-tathe- | lshades-sof-fnight--sThis |
| mwin--dter’s-meve-fare- | sfleet--l_-sing;--sWe |
| sdeck-sThine-sal--tatar,- | lLord,-swith-flight,--sIn |
| msol--demn-mwor--fship- | smeet--l_-sing;--sAnd |
| d'as--tathelyear’s-slast- | d'hours-lgo-sby,--sWe |
| d'raise--stosThee-dour- | mear--snest-mcry,--dOnce |
| rmore-fThy-mlove-ren-- | dtreat--r_-ding.-- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (B♭)
- Range
- d to d' (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER
- Words
- James Hamilton
- Music
- From Etlich Christlich Lider, Wittenberg, 1524
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER (From Etlich Christlich Lider, Wittenberg, 1524); words by James Hamilton (1819–1896). Sources and licences.
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 message to the choir. To print it, download the solfa as a PDF.
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
Across the sky the shades of night
This winter’s eve are fleeting;
We deck Thine altar, Lord, with light,
In solemn worship meeting;
And as the year’s last hours go by,
We raise to Thee our earnest cry,
Once more Thy love entreating.
Before the cross subdued we bow,
To Thee our prayers addressing,
Recounting all Thy mercies now,
And all our sins confessing;
Beseeching Thee this coming year
To keep us in Thy faith and fear
And crown us with Thy blessing.
And while we pray, we lift our eyes
To dear ones gone before us,
Safe home with Thee in Paradise,
Whose peace descendeth o’er us;
And beg of Thee, when life is past
To reunite us all at last
With those who’ve gone before us.
We gather up, in this brief hour,
The memory of Thy mercies:
Thy wondrous goodness, love, and power
Our grateful song rehearses:
For Thou hast been our Strength and Stay
In many a dark and dreary day
Of sorrows and reverses.
In many an hour, when fear and dread,
Like evil spells, have bound us
And clouds were gathering overhead,
Thy providence hath found us.
In many a night, when seas ran high,
Thy gracious presence, drawing nigh,
Hath made all calm around us.
Then, O great God, in years to come,
Whatever may betide us,
Right onward through our journey home
Be Thou at hand to guide us;
Nor leave us till, at close of life,
Safe from all perils, toil, and strife.
Heaven shall enfold and hide us.
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 s (B♭), on the first syllable of “Across”, 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 and the chromatic ta. 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
James Hamilton wrote these words. They were printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 164.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked 8.7.8.7.8.8.7, to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER; any other 8.7.8.7.8.8.7 tune fits them as well.
- Words: James Hamilton (1819–1896)
- Melody (1524): From Etlich Christlich Lider, Wittenberg, 1524
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER (From Etlich Christlich Lider, Wittenberg, 1524); words by James Hamilton (1819–1896). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this tune 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: All Who Believe and Are Baptized, O Lord, Our Father, Thanks to Thee, Thank God! My Jesus Cleanseth Me.
Questions about Across the Sky the Shades of Night
What is the doh of Across the Sky the Shades of Night?
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 Across the Sky the Shades of Night start on?
It starts on s (B♭ in Eb major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Across” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Across the Sky the Shades of Night in the public domain?
Yes. James Hamilton died in 1896; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1524. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in the UK, the EU, the United States and Nigeria. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.