Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation in Tonic Solfa
Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation in Tonic Solfa to WESTMINSTER ABBEY: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the five verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mChrist---sis- | mmade---dthe- | fsure---rFoun-- | t,da----s,tion,- |
| dChrist---rthe- | mHead--r_dand- | t,Cor--l,ner---- | s,stone,----- |
| t,Cho----rsen- | t,of---s,the- | dLord,---rand- | mpre----dcious,- |
| fBind----ming- | rall--m_dthe- | t,Church-t,in--- | l,one,----- |
| deHo----dely- | rSi----ron’s- | t,help---t,for- | dev----der,- |
| l,And---l,her- | t,con----dfi-- | ddence---t,a-- | dlone.----- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- WESTMINSTER ABBEY
- Words
- John Mason Neale
- Music
- Henry Purcell, Ernest Hawkins
Tune WESTMINSTER ABBEY by Henry Purcell (1659–1695) and Ernest Hawkins (died undefined); words by ; translated by John Mason Neale (1818–1866). 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 · 3/4
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 made the sure Foundation,
Christ the Head and Corner-stone,
Chosen of the Lord, and precious,
Binding all the Church in one,
Holy Sion’s help for ever,
And her confidence alone.
All that dedicated city,
Dearly loved of God on high,
In exultant jubilation
Pours perpetual melody,
God the One in Three adoring
In glad hymns eternally.
To this temple, where we call Thee,
Come, O Lord of hosts, to-day;
With Thy wonted loving-kindness
Hear Thy servants, as they pray;
And Thy fullest benediction
Shed within its walls alway.
Here vouchsafe to all Thy servants
What they ask of Thee to gain,
What they gain from Thee for ever
With the Blessed to retain,
And hereafter in Thy glory
Evermore with Thee to reign.
Laud and honour to the Father,
Laud and honour to the Son,
Laud and honour to the Spirit,
Ever Three, and ever One,
Consubstantial, Co-eternal,
While unending ages run.
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. 3/4 means three 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 de. 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 Mason Neale translated the Latin hymn in 1851; Hymns Ancient and Modern prints these verses as the second part of his translation. The tune WESTMINSTER ABBEY comes from Henry Purcell (1680).
- Translated (1851): John Mason Neale (1818–1866)
- Music (1680): Henry Purcell (1659–1695)
- Music (1842): Ernest Hawkins (died undefined)
Tune WESTMINSTER ABBEY by Henry Purcell (1659–1695) and Ernest Hawkins (died undefined); words by ; translated by John Mason Neale (1818–1866).
Questions about Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation
What is the doh of Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation?
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 Made the Sure Foundation start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation in the public domain?
Yes. John Mason Neale died in 1866, Henry Purcell died in 1695, Ernest Hawkins died in undefined; the words were first published in 1851 and the music in 1680. 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.