Blinded in Youth by Satan's Arts in Tonic Solfa
Blinded in Youth by Satan's Arts in Tonic Solfa to MERIBAH, doh is Eb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dBlind---- | med--minmyouth-rby-mSa--ftan's- | sarts,-------mThe--- |
| lworld--ltolour-sun--fprac--mticed- | rhearts,-------sA--- |
| tflat--lt'ring-spro----fespect--- | sbows;-------sOur--- |
| d'fan--scy-sforms-ma-fthou--lsand- | sschemes,-------sOf--- |
| d'gay-sde--slights,-mand-fgol--lden- | sdreams,-------dAnd--- |
| run--fdis--mturbed---rre---- | dpose.------- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 3/2
- Starts on
- d (E♭)
- Range
- d to d' (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- MERIBAH
- Words
- John Newton
- Music
- Lowell Mason
Tune MERIBAH by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by John Newton (1725–1807). 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 · 3/2
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
Blinded in youth by Satan's arts,
The world to our unpracticed hearts,
A flatt'ring prospect bows;
Our fancy forms a thousand schemes,
Of gay delights, and golden dreams,
And undisturbed repose.
So in the desert's dreary waste,
By magic pow'r produced in haste,
(As ancient fables say)
Castles, and groves, and music sweet,
The senses of the trav'ller meet,
And stop him in his way.
But while he listens with surprise,
The charm dissolves, the vision dies,
'Twas but enchanted ground;
Thus if the Lord our spirits touch,
The world, which promised us so much,
A wilderness is found.
At first we start, and feel distressed,
Convinced we never can have rest,
In such a wretched place;
But he whose mercy breaks the charm,
Reveals his own almighty arm,
And bids us seek his face.
Then we begin to live indeed,
When from our sin and bondage freed,
By this beloved Friend;
We follow him from day to day,
Assured of grace through all the way,
And glory at the end.
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 “Blinded”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 3/2 means three minim 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. 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 Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book II, hymn 100, “The enchantment dissolved”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Common Particular Metre (8.8.6.8.8.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to MERIBAH; any other Common Particular Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Music (1839): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)
Tune MERIBAH by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: At Early Dawn, with Pious Thought, Be It My Only Wisdom Here, But We from Such Assaults Are Freed, Except the Lord Conduct the Plan, How Happy, Gracious Lord! Are We, If Solid Happiness We Prize, Light of My Life, O Lord, Thou Art, Lord, Thou Hast Won, at Length I Yield, May We Thy Precepts, Lord, Fulfil, O God of Life, in Whom We Live, O Lord! How Happy Should We Be, O Love Divine, How Sweet Thou Art, O, Could We Speak the Matchless Worth, The Joyful Morn, My God, Is Come, Thou God of Glorious Majesty, When, Lord, to This Our Western Land.
Questions about Blinded in Youth by Satan's Arts
What is the doh of Blinded in Youth by Satan's Arts?
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 Blinded in Youth by Satan's Arts start on?
It starts on d (E♭ in Eb major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Blinded” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Blinded in Youth by Satan's Arts in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Lowell Mason died in 1872; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1839. 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.