Ages, Ages Have Departed in Tonic Solfa
Ages, Ages Have Departed in Tonic Solfa to ST. RAPHAEL, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dA--dges,-t,a--dges- | l,have--t,de-dpart--s,ed,- |
| l,Since-t,the-dfirst-fdark- | rves---dseldbore--- |
| dA--dfric's-t,child--dren,- | dbro--rken-mheart--t,ed,- |
| mTo--mthisrfar-soff- | fewest---sernsshore;--- |
| rShe,-dlike-t,Ra--s,chel,- | l,Weep--t,ing,-dfor-mthey- |
| rwere---rno--- | dmore.------- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (A♭)
- Range
- s, to s (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- ST. RAPHAEL
- Words
- James Montgomery
- Music
- Edward John Hopkins
Tune ST. RAPHAEL by Edward John Hopkins (1818–1901); words by James Montgomery (1771–1854). 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 Ab · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Ages, ages have departed,
Since the first dark vessel bore
Afric's children, broken-hearted,
To this far-off western shore;
She, like Rachel,
Weeping, for they were no more.
Millions, millions have been slaughtered
In the fight and on the deep;
Millions, millions more have watered,
With such tears as captives weep,
Fields of labor
Where their wasted bodies sleep.
Mercy, mercy, vainly pleading,
Rends her garments, smites her breast,
Till a voice from heaven proceeding
Gladden all the waiting west:
"Come, ye weary!
Come, and I will give you rest!"
Tidings, tidings of salvation!
Brothers, rise with one accord,
Purge the plague-spot from our nation,
Till, unto their rights restored,
Slaves no longer,
All are freemen in the Lord!
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Ab 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 (A♭).
- 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 and the chromatic fe. 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 Montgomery wrote these words. They were printed in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 439, “Slavery”. The compilers changed some of the words, and this is their version.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked 8.7.8.7.4.7, to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ST. RAPHAEL; any other 8.7.8.7.4.7 tune fits them as well.
- Words: James Montgomery (1771–1854)
- Music (1862): Edward John Hopkins (1818–1901)
Tune ST. RAPHAEL by Edward John Hopkins (1818–1901); words by James Montgomery (1771–1854).
Sung to the same tune: Father! at This Altar Bending, Glory Be to God the Father.
Questions about Ages, Ages Have Departed
What is the doh of Ages, Ages Have Departed?
In this version, in Ab major, doh is Ab. 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 Ages, Ages Have Departed start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Ages, Ages Have Departed in the public domain?
Yes. James Montgomery died in 1854, Edward John Hopkins died in 1901; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1862. 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.