Christ Is Born, Go Forth to Meet Him in Tonic Solfa
Christ Is Born, Go Forth to Meet Him in Tonic Solfa to KALMAR, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dChrist-dis-l,born,-l,go- | t,forth-s,to-dmeet-dHim,- |
| mChrist-fby-rall-sthe- | sheaven-fea--sdored;--- |
| dSing--ding-l,songs-l,of- | t,wel--s,come,-dgreet-dHim,- |
| mFor-fthe-rearth-sre-- | sceives-feher-sLord.--- |
| sAll-mye-lna--stions- | fshout-mand-rsing;--- |
| mFor-dHe-fcomes,-myour- | rglo--rrious-dKing.--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- s, to l (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- KALMAR
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Swedish Traditional
Tune KALMAR (Swedish Traditional); 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 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
Christ is born, go forth to meet Him,
Christ by all the heaven adored;
Singing songs of welcome, greet Him,
For the earth receives her Lord.
All ye nations shout and sing;
For He comes, your glorious King.
Once His heavenly image bearing,
Man has sunk to depths of sin;
Now defiled, debased, despairing,
Clad in rags and foul within;
But our God, who beauty gave,
Lifts the soul He comes to save.
From the height of heaven beholding,
Pity filled the heart of grace,
And our Lord, His love unfolding,
Made the earth His dwelling-place;
And a virgin mother gave
God Incarnate, man to save.
Wisdom, Might, and Word Eternal,
Glory of the Father, Thou!
Hid from man and powers supernal,
Lo, He wears our nature now!
To the Lord your worship bring,
Praise Him, your victorious King.
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 d (G).
- 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 of the Greek Church (Edinburgh and London, 1900), where he gives them as “By St. Cosmas, 760 A.D”.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in 8.7.8.7.7.7, and this page sets them to KALMAR; any other 8.7.8.7.7.7 tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1900): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Melody (1676): Swedish Traditional
Tune KALMAR (Swedish Traditional); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices, In the Bliss of Old Predicted, Jesus, Brightness of the Father, Let Us Love, and Sing, and Wonder, One There Is, Above All Others, Precious Bible! What a Treasure, Through the Day Thy Love Hath Spared Us, Who Is This That Comes from Edom, Yes! Since God Himself Has Said It.
Questions about Christ Is Born, Go Forth to Meet Him
What is the doh of Christ Is Born, Go Forth to Meet Him?
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 Christ Is Born, Go Forth to Meet Him start on?
It starts on d (G in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Christ Is Born, Go Forth to Meet Him in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925; the words were in print by 1900 and the music in 1676. 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.