At the Cross in Tonic Solfa
At the Cross in Tonic Solfa to HUDSON: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the five verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dA-- | mlas!--randddid-mmy- | sSa---fviourmbleed,-sAnd- |
| ldid-smy-fSov’--mreign- | rdie?-----dWould- |
| mHe--rde-dvote-mthat- | ssa---lcredshead-dFor- |
| rsuch-fa-mworm-ras- | dI?-----dAtrthe |
| mcross,-mat-,mthemcross-fwheremI | mfirstr_rsaw-,dtherlight,-rAndmthe |
| fbur-fdenfof-,fmyfheart-srolled-,fa- | mway,-----mItmwas |
| fthere-fby-l,faith-fIfre- | mceived-mmyr_dsight,-mAnd- |
| rnow-rIdamt,hap-fpymall-,rthe | dday!----- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (E♭)
- Range
- l, to l (C to C, an octave)
- Tune
- HUDSON
- Words
- Isaac Watts, Ralph E. Hudson
- Music
- Ralph E. Hudson
Tune HUDSON by Ralph E. Hudson (1843–1901); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748) and Ralph E. Hudson (1843–1901). 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 Eb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Eb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Alas! and did my Saviour bleed
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
Refrain
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
’Tis all that I can do.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Eb 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 (E♭), 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. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- 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
The verses are Isaac Watts’s “Alas! and did my Saviour bleed” (1707); Ralph E. Hudson added the refrain and the tune HUDSON in 1885.
- Words (1707): Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
- Refrain (1885): Ralph E. Hudson (1843–1901)
- Music (1885): Ralph E. Hudson (1843–1901)
Tune HUDSON by Ralph E. Hudson (1843–1901); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748) and Ralph E. Hudson (1843–1901).
Questions about At the Cross
What is the doh of At the Cross?
In this version, in Eb major, doh is Eb. 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 At the Cross start on?
It starts on d (E♭ in Eb major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Alas” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is At the Cross in the public domain?
Yes. Isaac Watts died in 1748, Ralph E. Hudson died in 1901, Ralph E. Hudson died in 1901; the words were first published in 1707 and the music in 1885. 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.