Darkness Overspreads Us Here in Tonic Solfa
Darkness Overspreads Us Here in Tonic Solfa to WATCHMAN, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dDark----rness-mo----rver-- | mspreads---fus-shere,----- |
| sBut---mthe-snight---lwears- | sfast---ma--rway;----- |
| dJa----rcob's-mstar---rwill- | msoon---fap--spear,----- |
| d'Lead----ling-son---re-- | mter----rnal-dday!----- |
| sNow---m'tis-d'time---lto- | srouse---mfrom-d'sleep,----- |
| sTrim---mour-d'lamps---land- | tstand---lpre--spared;----- |
| mFor---rour-dLord---rstrict- | mwatch---fto-skeep,----- |
| d'Lest---lhe-sfind---rus- | moff---rour-dguard.----- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 6/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- WATCHMAN
- Words
- John Newton
- Music
- Lowell Mason
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); 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 · 6/4
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
Darkness overspreads us here,
But the night wears fast away;
Jacob's star will soon appear,
Leading on eternal day!
Now 'tis time to rouse from sleep,
Trim our lamps and stand prepared;
For our Lord strict watch to keep,
Lest he find us off our guard.
Let his people courage take,
Bear with a submissive mind
All they suffer for his sake,
Rich amends they soon will find:
He will wipe away their tears,
Near himself appoint their lot;
All their sorrows, pains and fears,
Quickly then wilt be forgot.
Though already saved, by grace,
From the hour we first believed;
Yet while sin and war have place,
We have but a part received:
Still we for salvation wait,
Every hour it nearer comes!
Death will break the prison gate,
And admit us to our homes.
Sinners, what can you expect?
You who now the Savior dare;
Break his laws, his grace reject,
You must stand before his bar!
Tremble, lest he say, Depart!
Oh the horrors of that sound!
Lord, make every careless heart,
Seek thee while thou may'st be found.
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 d (D).
- Count the time. 6/4 means six crotchet beats (two dotted minims) 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 127, “Salvation drawing nearer. Rom 8”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to WATCHMAN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Music (1830): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: Come, Thou High and Lofty Lord, Father, Lo! We Consecrate, Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear, Father! Thy Paternal Care, Gracious Lord, Our Children See, Guide Us, Lord! While, Hand in Hand, Mary to Her Savior's Tomb, Meet and Right It Is to Praise, O My God, What Must I Do, Pleasing Spring Again Is Here, Time, by Moments, Steals Away, While with Ceaseless Course the Sun.
Questions about Darkness Overspreads Us Here
What is the doh of Darkness Overspreads Us Here?
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 Darkness Overspreads Us Here start on?
It starts on d (D in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Darkness Overspreads Us Here in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Lowell Mason died in 1872; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1830. 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.