Come, Thou Soul-transforming Spirit in Tonic Solfa
Come, Thou Soul-transforming Spirit in Tonic Solfa to ST. AUSTIN, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 2 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mCome,--mthoumsoul-rtrans-- | fform--ming-rSpir--dit,- |
| rBless--rthersow--l,er- | dand-t,the-l,seed;--- |
| mLet--meachmheart-rthy- | fgrace-min--rher--dit;- |
| rRaise--rtherweak,-l,the- | dhun--t,gry-l,feed;--- |
| fFrom--fthefgos--mpel- | rNow--rsup-rply-l,thy- |
| dpeo----t,ple's--- | l,need.------- |
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- Key
- D minor
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- l, to f (D to B♭, a sixth)
- Tune
- ST. AUSTIN
- Words
- William Jay
- Music
- Gregorian Chant, Bristol Tune Book
Tune ST. AUSTIN (Gregorian Chant, Bristol Tune Book); words by William Jay (1769–1853). 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 F · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D minor, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Come, thou soul-transforming Spirit,
Bless the sower and the seed;
Let each heart thy grace inherit;
Raise the weak, the hungry feed;
From the gospel
Now supply thy people's need.
O, may all enjoy the blessing
Which thy word's designed to give,
Let us all, thy love possessing,
Joyfully the truth receive,
And forever
To thy praise and glory live.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (A).
- 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 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
William Jay wrote these words. They were printed in Hymns for Christian Devotion, compiled by John G. Adams and Edwin H. Chapin (Boston, 1846), as hymn 82 of its twenty-second edition (1853), “Prayer for a Blessing”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked 8.7.8.7.4.7, to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ST. AUSTIN; any other 8.7.8.7.4.7 tune fits them as well.
- Words: William Jay (1769–1853)
- Melody: Gregorian Chant
- Melody (1876): Bristol Tune Book
Tune ST. AUSTIN (Gregorian Chant, Bristol Tune Book); words by William Jay (1769–1853).
Sung to the same tune: Brother, Will You Slight the Message, Come to Jesus, O My Brothers, Yes, We Trust the Day Is Breaking, Zion Stands with Hills Surrounded.
Questions about Come, Thou Soul-transforming Spirit
What is the doh of Come, Thou Soul-transforming Spirit?
In this version, in D minor, doh is F. 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, Thou Soul-transforming Spirit start on?
It starts on m (A in D minor). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Come, Thou Soul-transforming Spirit in the public domain?
Yes. William Jay died in 1853; the words were in print by 1853 and the music in 1876. 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.