And Can It Be in Tonic Solfa
And Can It Be in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 6 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- d (F)
- Range
- d to d' (F to F, an octave)
- Tune
- FILLMORE
- Words
- Charles Wesley
- Music
- Jeremiah Ingalls
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune FILLMORE by Jeremiah Ingalls (1764–1828); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dAnd- | mcan--r_dit- | rbe---mthat- | rI---dshould- | rgain---mAn- |
| sin----sterest- | sin-l_-sthe- | mSa----rvior's- | dblood?---sDied- |
| lHe---lfor- | lme,--t_d'who- | scaused---sHis- | mpain?---sFor- |
| lme,---lwho- | lHim--t_d'to- | sdeath---spur-- | msued?-r_-dA-- |
| mma---r_dzing- | rlove!---mHow- | rcan---dit- | rbe,---mThat- |
| sThou,---smy- | sGod,-l_-sshouldst- | mdie---rfor- | dme?--- |
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 F · 3/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
'Tis mystery all: th'Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
He left His Father's throne above
So free, so infinite His grace?
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race:
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray?
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiv'n;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heav'n.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th'eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (F), on the word “And”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 3/4 means three 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 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 Charles Wesley, first published in 1738. The tune, FILLMORE, is by Jeremiah Ingalls. This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1738): Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Music: Jeremiah Ingalls (1764–1828)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune FILLMORE by Jeremiah Ingalls (1764–1828); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788). 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.
Sung to the same tune: Blind Bartimaeus.
Questions about And Can It Be
What is the doh of And Can It Be?
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 And Can It Be start on?
It starts on d (F in F major), a pickup on the word “And” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is And Can It Be in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, Jeremiah Ingalls died in 1828; the words were first published in 1738 and the music in 1905. 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.