Close to Thee in Tonic Solfa
Close to Thee in Tonic Solfa to CLOSE TO THEE: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the three verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,Thoudmy | mev---der-t,last--,ring | dpor--s,tion,-dMoremthan | sfriend--mordlife-,mto | rme,---s,Allda- |
| mlong--mmympil--,sgrim | sjour--fney,-mSa-rviour, | dlet--mmemwalk-,rwith | dThee.---t,Close-,dto |
| rThee,---fclose-,t,to | dThee,---mClose-,fto | sThee,---sclose-,mto | rThee;---s,Allda- |
| mlong--mmympil--,sgrim | sjour--fney,-mSa-rviour, | dlet--mmemwalk-,rwith | dThee.--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- s, (D)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- CLOSE TO THEE
- Words
- Fanny Crosby
- Music
- Silas Jones Vail
Tune CLOSE TO THEE by Silas Jones Vail (1818–1884); words by Fanny Crosby (1820–1915). 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
Thou my everlasting portion,
More than friend or life to me,
All along my pilgrim journey,
Saviour, let me walk with Thee.
Refrain
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee;
All along my pilgrim journey,
Saviour, let me walk with Thee.
Not for ease or worldly pleasure,
Nor for fame my prayer shall be;
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with Thee.
Lead me through the vale of shadows,
Bear me o’er life’s fitful sea;
Then the gate of life eternal
May I enter, Lord, with Thee.
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 s, (D), on the word “Thou”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s t. 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
Fanny Crosby wrote the words, published in 1874 with the tune CLOSE TO THEE by Silas J. Vail.
- Words (1874): Fanny Crosby (1820–1915)
- Music (1874): Silas Jones Vail (1818–1884)
Tune CLOSE TO THEE by Silas Jones Vail (1818–1884); words by Fanny Crosby (1820–1915).
Questions about Close to Thee
What is the doh of Close to Thee?
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 Close to Thee start on?
It starts on s, (D in G major), a pickup on the word “Thou” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is Close to Thee in the public domain?
Yes. Fanny Crosby died in 1915, Silas Jones Vail died in 1884; the words were first published in 1874 and the music in 1874. 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.