Borne on the Wings of Light in Tonic Solfa
Borne on the Wings of Light in Tonic Solfa to ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR), doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dBorne- | mon-mthe-swings-sof- | d'light,-----d'Be-- |
| thold-lthe-sLord-feas-- | scend,-----sUp- |
| lto-tthe-d'por--ltals- | sbright-----sWhere- |
| fheav--menly-rpowers-rat-- | dtend,-----dAnd- |
| dfling-rthe-mgates-dof- | mglo--fry-swide,-sWhile- |
| lprais--tes-d'rise-d'like- | r'flow----ting--- |
| d'tide.------- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- d to r' (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR)
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Parish Choir
Tune ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR) (Parish Choir); 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 D · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Borne on the wings of light,
Behold the Lord ascend,
Up to the portals bright
Where heavenly powers attend,
And fling the gates of glory wide,
While praises rise like flowing tide.
Back to the Father's bliss
From war and strife below,
From toil and loneliness
'Mid scenes of sin and woe; —
Loud plaudits hail the Victor now,
Who comes with triumph on His brow.
Lord, in the peace of heaven,
Far from our toil and pain,
Think of the promise given,
And come to us again; —
Remember, Thou, the toilsome road,
That brought Thee to Thy blest abode.
And see the toils we bear,
And hear the prayers we send;
In answer to our prayers,
Our needy souls befriend; —
We need not languish in the night,
Though heaven receive Thee from our sight.
O Promised Spirit, come,
And fill the empty place,
Till in our heavenly home
We look upon His face,
Who fought with us in earthly strife,
And won for us immortal life.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (D), on the word “Borne”, 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. 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).
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Hallelujah Metre (6.6.6.6.8.8), and this page sets them to ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR); any other Hallelujah Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Melody (1851): Parish Choir
Tune ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR) (Parish Choir); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Arise, My Soul, Arise, Blow Ye the Trumpet, Blow, By Whom Was David Taught, Come to the Christ in Tears, Death Moves with Victor's Tread, In Loud, Exalted Strains, Lord, We Thy Will Obey, O Light That Knew No Dawn, Supported by the Word, Th’ Atoning Work Is Done, The Church a Garden Is, The Wealth of High Estate, Thou, Infinite in Love, Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ, To Thee, Great Source of Light, What Contradictions Meet, When at Thy Feet, Oppressed.
Questions about Borne on the Wings of Light
What is the doh of Borne on the Wings of Light?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Borne on the Wings of Light start on?
It starts on d (D in D major), a pickup on the word “Borne” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Borne on the Wings of Light in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1851. 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.