Angels We Have Heard on High in Tonic Solfa
Angels We Have Heard on High in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- s, to l (C to D, a ninth)
- Tune
- GLORIA
- Words
- Traditional French, James Chadwick
- Music
- Traditional French
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune GLORIA (traditional French); words by Traditional French; translated by James Chadwick (1813–1882). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| mAn--mgels-mwe-shave- | sheard--fonmhigh--- |
| mSweet--rly-msing--sing- | mo'er--rthedplains,--- |
| mAnd-mthe-mmoun--stains- | sin--fre-mply--- |
| mE--rcho--ming-stheir- | mjoy---rousdstrains.--- |
| sGlo----l_s_f_m_ | f_---s_f_m_r_ |
| m_---f_m_r_d_ | r_--s,ri-s,a,--- |
| din-rex--mcel--fsis- | mDe----ro!-__ |
| sGlo----l_s_f_m_ | f_---s_f_m_r_ |
| m_---f_m_r_d_ | r_--s,ri-s,a,--- |
| din-rex--mcel--fsis- | mDe----r_--- |
| do!------- |
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 · 4/4
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
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.
Refrain
Gloria, in excelsis
Deo! Gloria, in excelsis
Deo!
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heav'nly song?
Come to Bethlehem and see Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
See Him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.
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 m (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. 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 anonymous. The English translation is by James Chadwick (1862). The tune, GLORIA, is Traditional French. This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words: Traditional French
- Translated (1862): James Chadwick (1813–1882)
- Melody: Traditional French
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune GLORIA (traditional French); words by Traditional French; translated by James Chadwick (1813–1882). 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.
Questions about Angels We Have Heard on High
What is the doh of Angels We Have Heard on High?
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 Angels We Have Heard on High start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Angels We Have Heard on High in the public domain?
Yes. James Chadwick died in 1882; the words were first published in 1862 and the music in 1916. 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.