Asleep in Jesus in Tonic Solfa
Asleep in Jesus in Tonic Solfa to REST (BRADBURY): the solfa with the words, staff notation, the five verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sA--ssleep-sin- | d'Je----ssus!---sBless--med- | rsleep,-----fFrom-fwhich-fnone- |
| r'ev----ter---lwakes-tto- | d'weep;-----sA-scalm-sand- |
| sun----mdis----fturbed-sre-- | lpose,-----lUn--d'bro--lken- |
| sby-mthe-rlast---fof--- | mfoes.----- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 3/2
- Starts on
- s (A)
- Range
- r to r' (E to E, an octave)
- Tune
- REST (BRADBURY)
- Words
- Margaret Mackay
Tune REST (BRADBURY) by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by Margaret Mackay (1802–1887). 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 · 3/2
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
Asleep in Jesus! Blessed sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep;
A calm and undisturbed repose,
Unbroken by the last of foes.
Asleep in Jesus! Oh, how sweet,
To be for such a slumber meet,
With holy confidence to sing
That death has lost his venomed sting!
Asleep in Jesus! Peaceful rest,
Whose waking is supremely blest;
No fear, no woe, shall dim that hour
That manifests the Saviour’s pow’r.
Asleep in Jesus! Oh, for me
May such a blessed refuge be!
Securely shall my ashes lie,
And wait the summons from on high.
Asleep in Jesus! Far from thee
Thy kindred and their graves may be;
But there is still a blessed sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep.
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 s (A), on the first syllable of “Asleep”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 3/2 means three minim 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
Margaret Mackay’s words were published in 1832. The tune REST is by William B. Bradbury (1843).
- Words (1832): Margaret Mackay (1802–1887)
- Music (1843): William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868)
Tune REST (BRADBURY) by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by Margaret Mackay (1802–1887).
Questions about Asleep in Jesus
What is the doh of Asleep in Jesus?
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 Asleep in Jesus start on?
It starts on s (A in D major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Asleep” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Asleep in Jesus in the public domain?
Yes. Margaret Mackay died in 1887, William Batchelder Bradbury died in 1868; the words were first published in 1832 and the music in 1843. 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.