Away in a Manger in Tonic Solfa
Away in a Manger in Tonic Solfa to MUELLER, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, all three verses and a piano.
- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- s (C)
- Range
- s, to s (C to C, an octave)
- Tune
- MUELLER
- Words
- Anonymous, John Thomas McFarland
- Music
- James Ramsey Murray
Tune MUELLER by James Ramsey Murray (1841–1905); words by Anonymous and John Thomas McFarland (1851–1913). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| sA-- | sway--finma- | mman---rger,dno- | dcrib-t,for-l,a- | s,bed,---s,The- |
| s,lit---l,tles,Lord- | s,Je--rsus-t,laid- | l,down-s,His-dsweet- | mhead;---sThe- |
| sstars--finmthe- | msky--r_dlooked- | ddown-t,where-l,He- | s,lay,---s,The- |
| flit---mtlerLord- | mJe--rsus,-da-- | rsleep-l,on-t,the- | dhay.--- |
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
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.
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 s (C), on the first syllable of “Away”, 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 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 first two verses of this children's carol were printed anonymously in Philadelphia in 1885; the third is usually credited to John Thomas McFarland. The tune MUELLER, by James Ramsey Murray, was published in 1887.
In Britain, and in many Nigerian churches, the same words are also sung to William J. Kirkpatrick's CRADLE SONG, with 'the stars in the bright sky' in the third line.
- Verses 1 and 2, first printed in Philadelphia (1885): Anonymous
- Verse 3: John Thomas McFarland (1851–1913)
- Melody (1887): James Ramsey Murray (1841–1905)
Tune MUELLER by James Ramsey Murray (1841–1905); words by Anonymous and John Thomas McFarland (1851–1913).
Questions about Away in a Manger
What is the doh of Away in a Manger?
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 Away in a Manger start on?
It starts on s (C in F major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Away” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Away in a Manger in the public domain?
Yes. John Thomas McFarland died in 1913, James Ramsey Murray died in 1905; the words were first published in 1885 and the music in 1887. 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.