Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare in Tonic Solfa
Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare in Tonic Solfa to VIENNA, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 7 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mCome,-rmy-dsoul,-mthy- | ssuit-fpre--mpare,--- |
| l,Je--t,sus-dloves-rto- | t,an--l,swer-s,prayer,--- |
| dHe-t,him--l,self-dhas- | fbid-mthee-rpray,--- |
| sThere--ffore-mwill-rnot- | dsay-t,thee-dnay.--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- VIENNA
- Words
- John Newton
Tune VIENNA by Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined); words by John Newton (1725–1807). 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
Come, my soul, thy suit prepare,
Jesus loves to answer prayer,
He himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay.
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For his grace and pow'r are such,
None can ever ask too much.
With my burden I begin,
Lord, remove this load of sin!
Let thy blood, for sinners spilt,
Set my conscience free from guilt.
Lord! I come to thee for rest,
Take possession of my breast;
There thy blood-bought right maintain,
And without a rival reign.
As the image in the glass
Answers the beholder's face;
Thus unto my heart appear,
Print thine own resemblance there.
While I am a pilgrim here,
Let thy love my spirit cheer;
As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,
Lead me to my journey's end.
Show me what I have to do,
Every hour my strength renew;
Let me live a life of faith,
Let me die thy peoples death.
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. 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. 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 Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book I, hymn 31, “Ask what I shall give thee. 1Ki 3:5”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens (7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to VIENNA; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Music (1799): Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined)
Tune VIENNA by Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: Angels, Roll the Rock Away, Blessed State! and Happy He, Christians! Brethren! Ere We Part, Come the Rich and Come the Poor, Father, at Thy Footstool See, Father, in Thy Presence Now, God Made All His Creatures Free, Happy Soul, That Safe from Harm, In the Morning I Will Pray, In Themselves, as Weak as Worms, Jesus Comes with All His Grace, Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee, Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love, Lord of Mercy, at Thy Gate, Lord! That I May Learn of Thee, Morn of Beauty, Joyous Morn, Now May He Who from the Dead, People of the Living God, Praise on Thee, in Zion's Gates, Sacred Day, Forever Blest, Saviour of the Sin-sick Soul, Sinner, Rouse Thee from Thy Sleep, Soldiers of the Cross, Arise, Son of God! Thy People's Shield, Thanks to God for Those Who Came, Unbelief the Soul Dismays, Waving in the Autumn Breeze, We Would Leave, O God, to Thee, When My Love to Christ Grows Weak, Wouldst Thou in Thy Lonely Hour.
Questions about Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare
What is the doh of Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare?
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 Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Justin Heinrich Knecht died in undefined; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1799. 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.