Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning in Tonic Solfa
Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- D minor
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (F)
- Range
- l, to l (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- DIES IRAE (DYKES)
- Words
- Thomas of Celano, William Josiah Irons
- Music
- John Bacchus Dykes
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune DIES IRAE (DYKES) by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Thomas of Celano (13th century); translated by William Josiah Irons (1812–1883). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dDay--t,ofl,wrath,-t,O- | dday-rof-mmourn--l,ing!- |
| fSee-fful--mfilled-l,the- | rpro--dphet's-t,warn--deing,- |
| rHeav'n-rand-rearth-din- | t,ash--des-t,burn--l,ing.- |
| dOh,--fwhatffear--mman's | rbo--msom-frend--deth- |
| dWhen-ffrom-fHeav'n--mthe | rJudge-mde--fscend--deth- |
| lOn-lwhose-lsen---l,tence | t,all-rde--dpend---- |
| --t,_-l,eth!--- |
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 WhatsApp message to the choir.
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
Day of wrath, O day of mourning!
See fulfilled the prophet's warning,
Heav'n and earth in ashes burning.
Oh, what fear man's bosom rendeth
When from Heav'n the Judge descendeth
On whose sentence all dependeth!
Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth,
Through earth's sepulchers it ringeth,
All before the throne it bringeth.
Death is struck and nature quaking;
All creation is awaking,
To its Judge an answer making.
Lo, the book, exactly worded,
Wherein all hath been recorded;
Thence shall judgment be awarded.
When the Judge His seat attaineth
And each hidden deed arraigneth,
Nothing unavenged remaineth.
What shall I, frail man, be pleading?
Who for me be interceding
When the just are mercy needing?
King of majesty tremendous,
Who dost free salvation send us,
Fount of pity, then befriend us.
Think, good Jesus, my salvation
Caused Thy wondrous incarnation;
Leave me not to reprobation!
Faint and weary Thou hast sought me,
On the cross of suff'ring bought me;
Shall such grace be vainly brought me?
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 d (F).
- 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 and the chromatic de. 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
The words are by Thomas of Celano, first published in 1300. The English translation is by William Josiah Irons (1848). The tune, DIES IRAE (DYKES), is by John Bacchus Dykes (1861). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1300): Thomas of Celano (13th century)
- Translated (1848): William Josiah Irons (1812–1883)
- Music (1861): John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune DIES IRAE (DYKES) by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Thomas of Celano (13th century); translated by William Josiah Irons (1812–1883). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning
What is the doh of Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning?
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 Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning start on?
It starts on d (F in D minor). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning in the public domain?
Yes. Thomas of Celano lived in the 13th century, William Josiah Irons died in 1883, John Bacchus Dykes died in 1876; the words were first published in 1848 and the music in 1861. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.