Behold, the King of Zion Rides in Tonic Solfa
Behold, the King of Zion Rides in Tonic Solfa to MATERNA, doh is C: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sBe-- | shold,--mthemKing-sof- | sZi---ronrrides,-mBut- |
| fnot-sin-lvain-tar-- | sray;-----sThe- |
| speo---mplemwave-stheir- | sgood---rlyrpalms,-r'With- |
| de'gar--r'ments-m'strew-lthe- | r'way;-----sAnd- |
| m'loud--m'ho-r'san--d'nas- | d'fill--tthetair-d'From- |
| r'crowds-tthat,-lsurg--sing,- | d'throng;-----d''Tis- |
| d'meet--ltolhon--d'our- | d'Him--sWhosrides-sWith- |
| lcheer,-d'and-sshout,-r'and- | d'song.----- |
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- Key
- C major
- Doh
- C
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (G)
- Range
- r to m' (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- MATERNA
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Samuel A. Ward
Tune MATERNA by Samuel A. Ward (1848–1903); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925). 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 C · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Behold, the King of Zion rides,
But not in vain array;
The people wave their goodly palms,
With garments strew the way;
And loud hosannas fill the air
From crowds that, surging, throng;
'Tis meet to honour Him Who rides
With cheer, and shout, and song.
O Zion, of your God beloved,
The day of strife is nigh,
Yet comes He not with armour clad,
And sword upon His thigh;
The weapons of your mighty King
No other hand could wield,
The might of God is in His arm,
The will of God His shield.
See, on the cross, without the wall,
The King Immortal dies;
Not now hosannas fill the air, —
The shouts of hell arise;
But in that hour of triumph, deemed,
Satanic might is slain,
For He Who bows the head in death,
Shall rise to life again.
O Zion, hail your mighty King,
Your palms around Him wave,
And strew your garments in the way
Of Him Who rides to save;
And when He mounts His regal throne,
By bloody conflict won,
Give homage to the King of heaven,
God's One Eternal Son.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum C 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 (G), on the first syllable of “Behold”, 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.
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s l t and the chromatic de. 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
John Brownlie translated these words from the Greek service books for Hymns from the Morningland (Paisley, 1911), headed “Palm Sunday”.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Common Metre Double (8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6), and this page sets them to MATERNA; any other Common Metre Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Music (1882): Samuel A. Ward (1848–1903)
Tune MATERNA by Samuel A. Ward (1848–1903); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: And Let This Feeble Body Fail, I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, Jerusalem! My Glorious Home, Joined in a Union Firm and Strong, My Shepherd Is the Lord on High, Not That Thy Boundless Love, My God, O God, That Madest Earth and Sky, O Thou, Who Didst Ordain the Word, The Earth, All Light and Loveliness, The Heavenly Spheres to Thee, O God, The World May Change from Old to New, Thou Must Go Forth Alone, My Soul, Who Shall Behold the Glorious Day, Ye Joyous Ones! upon Whose Brow.
Questions about Behold, the King of Zion Rides
What is the doh of Behold, the King of Zion Rides?
In this version, in C major, doh is C. 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 Behold, the King of Zion Rides start on?
It starts on s (G in C major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Behold” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Behold, the King of Zion Rides in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Samuel A. Ward died in 1903; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1882. 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.