Beneath the Cross of Jesus in Tonic Solfa
Beneath the Cross of Jesus in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- Db major
- Doh
- Db
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (A♭)
- Range
- d to d' (D♭ to D♭, an octave)
- Tune
- ST. CHRISTOPHER
- Words
- Elizabeth Cecelia Douglas Clephane
- Music
- Frederick C. Maker
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ST. CHRISTOPHER by Frederick C. Maker (1844–1927); words by Elizabeth Cecelia Douglas Clephane (1830–1869). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| sBe-- | sneath--sthefecross-lof- | sJe----msus-dI- |
| rfain--mwouldftake-fmy- | mstand,-----mThe- |
| d'sha---d'dowd'of-ta- | lmight--sy-frock-mwith-- |
| rin--rarewear--rey- | mland;-----mA- |
| mhome--rwith-din-rthe- | mwild--fer--sness,-sa- |
| lrest--lu-lpon-mthe- | fway,-----fFromfthe |
| tburn---lingsof-fthe- | mnoon--mtide-sheat,-fandfthe |
| mbur---ddenmof-rthe- | dday.----- |
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 Db · 4/4
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
Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.
O safe and happy shelter,
O refuge tried and sweet,
O trysting place where Heaven's love
and Heaven's justice meet!
As to the holy patriarch
that wondrous dream was giv'n,
So seems my Savior's cross to me,
a ladder up to heav'n.
There lies beneath its shadow
but on the further side
The darkness of an awful grave
that gapes both deep and wide
And there between us stands the cross
two arms outstretched to save
A watchman set to guard the way
from that eternal grave.
Upon that cross of Jesus
mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One
Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears
two wonders I confess;
The wonders of redeeming love
and my unworthiness.
I take, O cross, thy shadow
for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than
the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by
to know no gain or loss,
My sinful self my only shame,
my glory all the cross.
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 s (A♭), on the first syllable of “Beneath”, 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 fe re. 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 words are by Elizabeth Cecelia Douglas Clephane, first published in 1868. The tune, ST. CHRISTOPHER, is by Frederick C. Maker (1881). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1868): Elizabeth Cecelia Douglas Clephane (1830–1869)
- Music (1881): Frederick C. Maker (1844–1927)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ST. CHRISTOPHER by Frederick C. Maker (1844–1927); words by Elizabeth Cecelia Douglas Clephane (1830–1869). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about Beneath the Cross of Jesus
What is the doh of Beneath the Cross of Jesus?
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 Beneath the Cross of Jesus start on?
It starts on s (A♭ in Db major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Beneath” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Beneath the Cross of Jesus in the public domain?
Yes. Elizabeth Cecelia Douglas Clephane died in 1869, Frederick C. Maker died in 1927; the words were first published in 1868 and the music in 1881. 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.