Alas, My God! My Sins Are Great in Tonic Solfa
Alas, My God! My Sins Are Great in Tonic Solfa to DOMINUS REGIT ME, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mA-- | slas,-fmy-mGod!-mmy- | rsins-rare-dgreat,-s,My- |
| s,con---l,sciencet,doth-dup-- | mbraid---rme;-sAnd- |
| fnow-mIr_mfind-mthat- | rin-dmyt,_dstrait-l,No- |
| s,man--l,hatht,power-dto- | maid-r_-dme.- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- DOMINUS REGIT ME
- Words
- Martin Rutilius, Catherine Winkworth
- Music
- John Bacchus Dykes
Tune DOMINUS REGIT ME by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Martin Rutilius (1550–1618); translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878). 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Alas, my God! my sins are great,
My conscience doth upbraid me;
And now I find that in my strait
No man hath power to aid me.
And fled I hence in my despair
In some lone spot to hide me,
My griefs would still be with me there
And peace still be denied me.
Lord, Thee I seek. I merit naught,
Yet pity and restore me;
Be not Thy wrath, just God, my lot;
Thy Son hath suffered for me.
If pain and woe must follow sin,
Then be my path still rougher.
Here spare me not; if heaven I win,
On earth I gladly suffer.
But curb my heart, forgive my guilt,
Make Thou my patience firmer;
For they must miss the good Thou wilt
Who at Thy chastenings murmur.
Then deal with me as seems Thee best,
Thy grace will help me bear it,
If but at last I see Thy rest
And with my Savior share it.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 (B), on the first syllable of “Alas”, 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
Martin Rutilius wrote these words in German. Catherine Winkworth's translation was printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 421.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Eights and Sevens (8.7.8.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to DOMINUS REGIT ME; any other Eights and Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Martin Rutilius (1550–1618)
- Translated: Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878)
- Music (1868): John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876)
Tune DOMINUS REGIT ME by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Martin Rutilius (1550–1618); translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878).
Sung to the same tune: Lord, in Thy Kingdom There Shall Be, The King of Love My Shepherd Is, To Thee, O Christ, Our Prayers Shall Rise, To Thy Blest Cross, O Christ, We Come.
Questions about Alas, My God! My Sins Are Great
What is the doh of Alas, My God! My Sins Are Great?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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 Alas, My God! My Sins Are Great start on?
It starts on m (B in G major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Alas” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Alas, My God! My Sins Are Great in the public domain?
Yes. Martin Rutilius died in 1618, Catherine Winkworth died in 1878, John Bacchus Dykes died in 1876; the words were in print by 1927 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.