Blessed State! and Happy He in Tonic Solfa
Blessed State! and Happy He in Tonic Solfa to VIENNA, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mBless--red-dstate!-mand- | shap--fpy-mhe--- |
| l,Who-t,is-dlike-rthat- | t,plant--l,ed-s,tree;--- |
| dLiv--t,ing-l,wa--dters- | flave-mhis-rroot,--- |
| sBends-fhis-mbough-rwith- | dgol--t,den-dfruit.--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- VIENNA
- Words
- Bernard Barton
Tune VIENNA by Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined); words by Bernard Barton (1784–1849). 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Blessed state! and happy he
Who is like that planted tree;
Living waters lave his root,
Bends his bough with golden fruit.
When the seedling from its bed
First lifts up its timid head,
Ministry of thine must give.
All on which its life can live.
Showers from thee must bid it thrive,
Breath of thine must oft revive;
Light from thee its bloom supplies, —
Left by thee it fades and dies.
Thine, O Lord! the power and praise
Which a sight like this displays;
Power of thine must plant it there,
Praise of thee it should declare.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 m (B).
- 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. 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
Bernard Barton wrote these words. They were printed in Hymns for Christian Devotion, compiled by John G. Adams and Edwin H. Chapin (Boston, 1846), as hymn 964 of its twenty-second edition (1853), “"He shall be like a tree planted in the rivers of water."”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens (7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to VIENNA; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Bernard Barton (1784–1849)
- Music (1799): Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined)
Tune VIENNA by Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined); words by Bernard Barton (1784–1849).
Sung to the same tune: Angels, Roll the Rock Away, Christians! Brethren! Ere We Part, Come the Rich and Come the Poor, Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare, Father, at Thy Footstool See, Father, in Thy Presence Now, God Made All His Creatures Free, Happy Soul, That Safe from Harm, In the Morning I Will Pray, In Themselves, as Weak as Worms, Jesus Comes with All His Grace, Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee, Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love, Lord of Mercy, at Thy Gate, Lord! That I May Learn of Thee, Morn of Beauty, Joyous Morn, Now May He Who from the Dead, People of the Living God, Praise on Thee, in Zion's Gates, Sacred Day, Forever Blest, Saviour of the Sin-sick Soul, Sinner, Rouse Thee from Thy Sleep, Soldiers of the Cross, Arise, Son of God! Thy People's Shield, Thanks to God for Those Who Came, Unbelief the Soul Dismays, Waving in the Autumn Breeze, We Would Leave, O God, to Thee, When My Love to Christ Grows Weak, Wouldst Thou in Thy Lonely Hour.
Questions about Blessed State! and Happy He
What is the doh of Blessed State! and Happy He?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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 Blessed State! and Happy He start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Blessed State! and Happy He in the public domain?
Yes. Bernard Barton died in 1849, Justin Heinrich Knecht died in undefined; the words were in print by 1853 and the music in 1799. 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.