Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord in Tonic Solfa
Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord in Tonic Solfa to SWEET HOUR, doh is Db: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dArm | mthese-fThyssol--sdiers, | lmight--tyd'Lord,-lWith | sshield-mofmfaithr_dand | rSpi--mrit’srsword.-dForth |
| mto-fthesbat--stle | lmay-ttheyd'go-lAnd | sbold--mlymfightr_da- | mgainst-rthedfoe,-sWith |
| d'ban--tnerd'of-lthe | sCross-mun-sfurled,-sAnd | d'by-titd'o--lver- | scome-mtherworld;-dAnd |
| mso-fatslast-sre- | lceive-tfromd'Thee-lThe | spalm-mandmcrownr_dof | mvic--rto-dry.- |
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- Key
- Db major
- Doh
- Db
- Time
- 6/8
- Starts on
- d (D♭)
- Range
- d to d' (D♭ to D♭, an octave)
- Tune
- SWEET HOUR
Tune SWEET HOUR by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by Christopher Wordsworth (1807–1885). 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 Db · 6/8
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Db major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Arm these Thy soldiers, mighty Lord,
With shield of faith and Spirit’s sword.
Forth to the battle may they go
And boldly fight against the foe,
With banner of the Cross unfurled,
And by it overcome the world;
And so at last receive from Thee
The palm and crown of victory.
Come, ever-blessed Spirit, come
And make Thy servants’ hearts Thy home;
May each a living temple be,
Hallowed forever, Lord, to Thee!
Enrich that temple’s holy shrine
With sevenfold gifts of grace divine;
With wisdom, light, and knowledge bless,
With counsel, strength, fear, godliness.
O Trinity in Unity,
One only God and Persons Three;
In whom, through whom, by whom we live,
To Thee we praise and glory give.
O grant us so to use Thy grace
That we may see Thy glorious face
And ever with the heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Db 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♭), on the word “Arm”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 6/8 means two dotted-crotchet beats (six quavers) 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
Christopher Wordsworth wrote these words. They were printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 410.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Long Metre Double (8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to SWEET HOUR; any other Long Metre Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Christopher Wordsworth (1807–1885)
- Music (1861): William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868)
Tune SWEET HOUR by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by Christopher Wordsworth (1807–1885).
Sung to the same tune: Eternal, Spotless Lamb of God, How Shall We Praise Thee, Lord of Light, Jesu, My Advocate Above, Lamp of Our Feet! Whose Hallowed Beam, O Holy Father! 'Mid the Calm, Sweet Hour of Prayer, The Spacious Firmament on High, Though Sore Beset with Guilt and Fear, When Dread Misfortune's Tempests Rise.
Questions about Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord
What is the doh of Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord?
In this version, in Db major, doh is Db. 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 Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord start on?
It starts on d (D♭ in Db major), a pickup on the word “Arm” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord in the public domain?
Yes. Christopher Wordsworth died in 1885, William Batchelder Bradbury died in 1868; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1861. 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.