Ah, When Shall I Awake in Tonic Solfa

Ah, When Shall I Awake in Tonic Solfa to DIADEMATA, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.

The solfa with the words

Doh is D4/4

dAh,-dwhendshallmI-ma--

lwake-----lFrom-

ssin's-dsoft-fsooth--ming-

rpower,-----rThe-

mslum--sber-lfrom-smy-

fespir--mitr_sshake,-d'And-

trise-d'to-lfall-lno-

smore!-----sA--

swake,-mno-rmore-dto-

lsleep,-----lBut-

lstand-fewith-mcon--rstant-

tcare,-----tLook--

d'ing--tforlGod-smy-

fsoul-rto-mkeep,-sAnd-

fwatch--ming-run--rto-

dprayer!-------

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Key: D major
Doh: D
Time: 4/4
Starts on: d (D)
Range: d to d' (D to D, an octave)
Tune: DIADEMATA
Words: Charles Wesley, John Wesley
Music: George Job Elvey

Tune DIADEMATA by George Job Elvey (1816–1893); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791). 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 D · 4/4

| d - d d m - m - Ah, when shall I a-| l - - - - - l - |wake From

| s - d - f - m - sin's soft soothing| r - - - - - r - |power, The

| m - s - l - s - slumber from my| fe - m r s - d' - |spirit shake, And

| t - d' - l - l - rise to fall no| s - - - - - s - |more! A-

| s - m - r - d - wake, no more to| l - - - - - l - |sleep, But

| l - fe - m - r - stand with constant| t - - - - - t - |care, Look-

| d' - - t l - s - ing for God my| f - r - m - s - |soul to keep, And

| f - m - r - r - watching unto| d - - - - - - - |prayer!

Staff notation

The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.

The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.

The words

Ah, when shall I awake
From sin's soft-soothing power,
The slumber from my spirit shake,
And rise to fall no more!
Awake, no more to sleep,
But stand with constant care,
Looking for God my soul to keep,
And watching unto prayer!

O could I always pray?
And never, never faint,
But simply to my God display
My every care and want!
I know that thou wouldst give.
More than I can request;
Thou still art ready to receive
My soul to perfect rest.

I feel thee willing, Lord,
A sinful world to save,
All may obey thy gracious word,
May peace and pardon have;
Not one of all the race
But may return to thee,
But at the throne of sovereign grace
May fall and weep, like me.

Here will I ever lie,
And tell thee all my care,
And, Father, Abba, Father, cry,
And pour a ceaseless prayer;
Till thou my sins subdue,
Till thou my sins destroy,
My spirit after God renew,
And fill with peace and joy.

Messiah, Prince of peace,
Into my soul bring in
Thy everlasting righteousness,
And make an end of sin.
Into all those that seek
Redemption through thy blood
The sanctifying Spirit speak,
The plenitude of God.

Let us in patience wait
Till faith shall make us whole;
Till thou shalt all things new create
In each believing soul;
Who can resist thy will?
Speak, and it shall be done!
Thou shalt the work of faith fulfil,
And perfect us in one.

How to sing it from the solfa

Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (D).
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

John Wesley printed these words in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 303. They first appeared in a book he and his brother Charles published together, and the Collection's own index cannot say which of the two wrote them.

The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Short Metre Double (6.6.8.6.6.6.8.6), and this page sets them to DIADEMATA; any other Short Metre Double tune fits them as well.

Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
Words: John Wesley (1703–1791)
Melody (1868): George Job Elvey (1816–1893)

Tune DIADEMATA by George Job Elvey (1816–1893); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791).

Sung to the same tune: Ah Whither Should I Go, And Am I Born to Die, Crown Him with Many Crowns, Equip Me for the War, Father of Boundless Grace, Gracious Redeemer, Shake, Great Source of Life and Light, Hark! Hark! with Harps of Gold, I Want a Sober Mind, I Was a Wandering Sheep, I Will Not Yield My Sword, In Fellowship, Alone, It Is the Hour of Prayer, Jesu, We Look to Thee, Jesus, My Strength, My Hope, Lord, When at Thy Command, My God, My Strength, My Hope, My Sin Was Very Great, O God, in Mercy Hear, O That I Could Repent, O Thou Who Wouldst Not Have, O Unexhausted Grace, Soldiers of Christ, Arise, Sow in the Morn Thy Seed, Sweet Is the Time of Spring, The Thing My God Doth Hate, We Mourn for Those Who Toil.

Questions about Ah, When Shall I Awake

What is the doh of Ah, When Shall I Awake?

In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Ah, When Shall I Awake start on?

It starts on d (D in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.

Is Ah, When Shall I Awake in the public domain?

Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, John Wesley died in 1791, George Job Elvey died in 1893; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1868. 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.