Could the Creatures Help or Ease Us in Tonic Solfa

Could the Creatures Help or Ease Us in Tonic Solfa to LUX EOI, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.

The solfa with the words

Doh is D4/4

sCould--sthed'crea--stures-

shelp-for-fease-mus-

lSel--ldom-sshould-mwe-

rthink-dof-rprayer;---

sFew,--sifd'a--d'ny,-

tcome-lto-r'Je--ssus,-

feTill-mre--rduced-sto-

sself-fedis--spair:---

fLong-fwe-mei--mther-

lslight--lorldoubt-sehim,-

lBut-twhen-d'all-tthe-

mmeans-sewe-ltry,---

sProve-d'we-m'can--r'not-

d'do-twith--lout-shim,-

saThen-fat-mlast-lto-

dhim-rwe-dcry.---

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Key: D major
Doh: D
Time: 4/4
Starts on: s (A)
Range: d to m' (D to F♯, a tenth)
Tune: LUX EOI
Words: John Newton
Music: Arthur Seymour Sullivan

Tune LUX EOI by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900); 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 D · 4/4

| s - - s d' - s - Could the creatures| s - f - f - m - |help or ease us

| l - l - s - m - Seldom should we| r - d - r - - - |think of prayer;

| s - - s d' - d' - Few, if any,| t - l - r' - s - |come to Jesus,

| fe - m - r - s - Till reduced to| s - fe - s - - - |self dispair:

| f - f - m - m - Long we either| l - - l l - se - |slight or doubt him,

| l - t - d' - t - But when all the| m - se - l - - - |means we try,

| s - d' - m' - r' - Prove we cannot| d' - t - l - s - |do without him,

| sa - f - m - l - Then at last to| d - r - d - - - |him we cry.

Staff notation

The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.

The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.

The words

Could the creatures help or ease us
Seldom should we think of prayer;
Few, if any, come to Jesus,
Till reduced to self-dispair:
Long we either slight or doubt him,
But when all the means we try,
Prove we cannot do without him,
Then at last to him we cry.

Thus the ruler when his daughter
Suffered much, though Christ was nigh,
Still deferred it, till he thought her
At the very point to die:
Though he mourned for her condition,
He did not entreat the Lord,
Till he found that no physician
But himself, could help afford.

Jesus did not once upbraid him,
That he had no sooner come;
But a gracious answer made him,
And went straitway with him home:
Yet his faith was put to trial
When his servants came, and said,
"Though he gave thee no denial,
'Tis too late, the child is dead."

Jesus; to prevent his grieving,
Kindly spoke and eased his pain;
"Be not fearful, but believing,
Thou shalt see her live again:"
When he found the people weeping,
"Cease, he said, no longer mourn;
For she is not dead, but sleeping,"
Then they laughed him to scorn.

O thou meek and lowly Savior,
How determined is thy love!
Not this rude unkind behavior,
Could thy gracious purpose move:
Soon as he the room had entered,
Spoke, and took her by the hand;
Death at once his prey surrendered,
And she lived at his command.

Fear not then, distressed believer,
Venture on his mighty name;
He is able to deliver,
And his love is still the same
Can his pity or his power,
Suffer thee to pray in vain;
Wait but his appointed hour,
And thy suit thou shalt obtain.

How to sing it from the solfa

Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (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 s l t and the chromatic fe se sa. 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 93, “The ruler's daughter raised. Mk 5:39-42”.

The book printed the words without tunes, marked Eights and Sevens Double (8.7.8.7.8.7.8.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to LUX EOI; any other Eights and Sevens Double tune fits them as well.

Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
Music (1874): Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900)

Tune LUX EOI by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900); words by John Newton (1725–1807).

Sung to the same tune: As in Solemn Congregation, Christ the Word! Thine Incarnation, Come, Thou All-inspiring Spirit, Hear What God the Lord Hath Spoken, Holy Father, Thou Hast Taught Me, In the Name Which Earth and Heaven, Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken, Legion Was My Name by Nature, Let the World Despise and Leave Me, Love Divine, All Love Excelling, Mighty One, Whose Name Is Holy, Peace Be to This Habitation, We Have Met in Peace Together, Westward, Lord, the World Alluring.

Questions about Could the Creatures Help or Ease Us

What is the doh of Could the Creatures Help or Ease Us?

In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Could the Creatures Help or Ease Us start on?

It starts on s (A in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.

Is Could the Creatures Help or Ease Us in the public domain?

Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Arthur Seymour Sullivan died in 1900; the words were in print by 1779 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.