Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn in Tonic Solfa
Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn in Tonic Solfa to YORKSHIRE: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the six verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dChris----dtians,-ra-- | mwake,-----fsa-- |
| slute-mthe-fhap--spy- | lmorn,------- |
| sWhere----lon-tthe- | d'Sa--r'viour-m'of-r'the- |
| d'world---twas--- | d'born;------- |
| d'Rise---m'to-sa-- | ldore-----sthe- |
| lmys--tter--d'y-r'of- | tlove,------- |
| tWhich---d'hosts-tof- | lAn--segels-lchant--ted- |
| d'from---ta---- | lbove;------- |
| lWith---sthem-fthe- | mjoy----dful--- |
| ftid--mings-rfirst-dbe-- | sgun-----sOf- |
| lGod---tIn---- | d'car--r'nate-m'and-r'the- |
| d'Vir----tgin’s--- | d'Son.------- |
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- Key
- C major
- Doh
- C
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (C)
- Range
- d to m' (C to E, a tenth)
- Tune
- YORKSHIRE
- Words
- John Byrom
- Music
- John Wainwright
Tune YORKSHIRE by John Wainwright (died undefined); words by John Byrom (1692–1763). 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 C · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Christians, awake, salute the happy morn,
Whereon the Saviour of the world was born;
Rise to adore the mystery of love,
Which hosts of Angels chanted from above;
With them the joyful tidings first begun
Of God Incarnate and the Virgin’s Son.
Then to the watchful shepherds it was told,
Who heard the Angelic herald’s voice, “Behold,
I bring good tidings of a Saviour’s birth
To you and all the nations upon earth:
This day hath God fulfilled His promised Word,
This day is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord.”
He spake; and straightway the celestial choir
In hymns of joy, unknown before, conspire:
The praises of redeeming love they sang,
And heaven’s whole orb with Alleluias rang:
God’s highest glory was their anthem still,
Peace upon earth, and unto men good will.
To Bethlehem straight the enlightened shepherds ran,
To see the wonder God had wrought for man,
And found, with Joseph and the Blessed Maid,
Her Son, the Saviour, in a manger laid:
Then to their flocks, still praising God, return,
And their glad hearts with holy rapture burn.
O may we keep and ponder in our mind
God’s wondrous love in saving lost mankind;
Trace we the Babe, Who hath retrieved our loss,
From His poor manger to His bitter Cross;
Tread in His steps, assisted by His grace,
Till man’s first heavenly state again takes place.
Then may we hope, the Angelic hosts among,
To sing, redeemed, a glad triumphal song:
He that was born upon this joyful day
Around us all His glory shall display;
Saved by His love, incessant we shall sing
Eternal praise to heaven’s Almighty King.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum C 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 (C).
- 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 se. 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 Byrom’s Christmas hymn dates from 1749. The tune YORKSHIRE is by John Wainwright (1750).
- Words (1749): John Byrom (1692–1763)
- Music (1750): John Wainwright (died undefined)
Tune YORKSHIRE by John Wainwright (died undefined); words by John Byrom (1692–1763).
Questions about Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn
What is the doh of Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn?
In this version, in C major, doh is C. 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 Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn start on?
It starts on d (C in C major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn in the public domain?
Yes. John Byrom died in 1763, John Wainwright died in undefined; the words were first published in 1749 and the music in 1750. 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.